Ke’Bryan Hayes Heats Up With The Bat, Hoping To End Pittsburgh Pirates Slide | First Place Bucs Are 1-9 In Last 10 Games

The Pittsburgh Pirates are leading the National League Central Division.

It’s early but for the first time in several years, they have a competent team again. The last time they won the division was 1992, led by the great Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla.

 

They are currently 21-17 and have performed well on the road and at home. The return to a winning culture can largely be attributed to the return of MLBbro and veteran Andrew McCutchen. However, what the Pirates really need to excel to the next level is the emergence of MLBbro Ke’Bryan Hayes.

 

 

After getting off to a blazing hot start, Pittsburgh is currently on a bad stretch, winning only one of its last ten games. However, the young third basemen Hayes has found his groove over the last week. The MLBbro has tallied eight hits in 21 at-bats in his last six games, resulting in a .381 batting average.

 

Hayes also swiped two bases and had an on-base percentage of .458 during this stretch. Although the team’s success has been trending downwards, continuous improvements from one of their cornerstone players bode well for the future of this club.

 

 

The Pirates have already shown a commitment to Hayes, evidenced by the eight-year $70 million contract extension he was given last season. Between his rookie year and the current season, he hasn’t yet delivered on the full expectations that Pittsburgh fans and management had for him following an excellent rookie campaign. But with a veteran like Andrew McCutchen, revered in Pittsburgh lore, who knows what it takes to compete and have sustained success as the face of this franchise, Hayes is in good hands to learn from the best.

 

 

The Pirates last had a winning season in 2018. While they are on pace now, they will not sustain this if Hayes does not develop into the leader, they signed him to be. His overall batting numbers for the year are not great – .246 with one home run and nine RBI – but he has been steadily improving.

 

Consistently batting in the leadoff spot, the MLBbro will be relied on as a table setter for the Pirates’ lineup for the foreseeable future. His blend of speed and contact will go a long way if he can continue to improve and help the team return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.