Ke’Bryan Hayes returns to the hot corner for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes hopes to continue growing in the 2025 season.
Hayes, 28, is entering his sixth season for the Pirates after being chosen in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
While Hayes was expected to be one of the best third basemen in the bigs, he hasn’t become that quite yet. Bleacher Report writer Joel Reuter ranked all 30 starting third basemen, and Hayes came in at No. 22.
Always an elite defender, Hayes appeared to turn a corner offensively with a 103 OPS+ and 53 extra-base hits during the 2023 season, but he took a significant step backward last season. In 96 games, he hit .233/.283/.290 for a 61 OPS+ with 13 extra-base hits and 0.8 WAR. The 28-year-old is still owed another $43 million over the next five years.
The players that ranked below Hayes were Maikel Garcia (Kansas City Royals), Jorge Polanco (Seattle Mariners), Miguel Vargas (Chicago White Sox), Gio Urshela (Athletics), Yoan Moncada (Los Angeles Angels), Oswaldo Cabrera (New York Yankees), Jose Tena (Washington Nationals) and Oliver Dunn (Milwaukee Brewers).
While Hayes has yet to live up to his pre-draft expectations, he can still be a strong piece for the Pirates in 2025 and in the years to follow if he improves this season.
BD community, what do you think of Hayes and his outlook going into the season? Chime off in the comments section below.