Now a finalist, Ke'Bryan Hayes has chance to become first Pirates 3B to win NL Gold Glove
When Ke’Bryan Hayes didn’t meet the qualifications to be eligible for a Gold Glove Award last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman set a goal of being available to play every day.
Then Hayes let his glovework speak for itself.
Not only did Hayes play in 1,102 2/3 innings over 133 games, he led all major leaguers with 24 defensive runs saved. That prompted Pirates manager Derek Shelton to lobby for Hayes to win his first Gold Glove in the majors after winning three in the minors.
“We’re talking about a guy that played elite defense,” Shelton said earlier this month. “I have a very strong opinion he should win a Gold Glove, if you guys are willing to write that.”
Hayes is one of three finalists for the NL Gold Glove, Rawlings announced Thursday afternoon, joining nine-time NL Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals and Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies as finalists for the defensive award.
The smoothest of the smooth with the glove.
These are your 2022 @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Award Finalists. pic.twitter.com/C3MRCyzxE1
— MLB (@MLB) October 20, 2022
Congrats to @KeBryanHayes on being named a Gold Glove Award finalist! pic.twitter.com/mej1ooaOs6
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) October 20, 2022
The Pirates never have had a Gold Glove winner at third base, so Hayes could make more franchise history after signing the club’s richest contract with an eight-year, $70-million deal in April. Not only does Hayes have the highest DRS of the three finalists but, per FanGraphs, was worth more Outs Above Average (18) and had the highest fielding percentage (.972) and the most putouts (109), assists (307) and chances (428).
Arenado finished with 19 DRS, 15 OAA and a .968 fielding percentage with 84 putouts and 283 assists in 379 chances. Both Arenado and Hayes had 12 errors while McMahon had 17, but Arenado turned two more double plays (38) than Hayes and 11 more than McMahon, who finished with 11 DRS, 10 OAA and a .953 fielding percentage.
Unseating Arenado will be difficult, however, given his reputation for excellence at the hot corner. Arenado has won five Platinum Gloves as the best defender at his position in baseball and is an NL MVP candidate who played a prominent role for the NL Central champions.
“It’s hard to change that narrative,” Shelton said when the Cardinals were visiting PNC Park. “I think the difference in changing that narrative is if there’s a huge gap. The guy down there is really, really good. Unfortunately, we get to see that a lot being in our division. So that narrative is hard to change. I can have a personal opinion on where he stands, but I understand all that because you don’t win nine Gold Gloves in a row without being really talented, and Nolan’s really talented.”
Ke’Bryan Hayes, how? HOW?!
— Elite Media Group (@TheEliteMedia_) June 27, 2021
Shelton, however, made a strong case for Hayes based on “just the way he moves his feet,” showing the range to get to balls that most third basemen don’t while making it look easy in the process.
“I think he makes a lot of plays that people take for granted that are routine that are really hard plays,” Shelton said. “Some of that we can metrically prove, and some of it is just by watching the way he moves his feet and the things he does that I don’t think that everybody realizes how difficult plays are. It’s basically the hops he creates. The good infielders create good hops. There’s a lot of times that he does that on balls that shouldn’t have good hops.”
Related Ke'Bryan Hayes news:
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• Good as gold: Pirates spoiled by 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes making spectacular plays
• Golden rule: For Pirates 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes, staying healthy the key to winning a Gold Glove
Hayes is the only Pirates player to be named a Gold Glove finalist. Last year, the Pirates had an NL Gold Glove winner in catcher Jacob Stallings and finalists in shortstop Kevin Newman and center fielder Bryan Reynolds.
Hayes would have been a candidate in 2021 — he won the Fielding Bible Award as the game’s best third baseman last year — but spent a stint on the 60-day injured list with a bothersome left hand/wrist. That prevented Hayes from meeting the Rawlings qualification of playing in 713 innings by the Pirates’ 142nd game.
That’s why Hayes set the goal this past spring training of playing as much as possible. He committed five of his 12 errors in May, including three in a five-game span, but stood out the rest of the season. Even so, Hayes knew he faced a tall order in beating Arenado for a Gold Glove.
“I definitely want to get one, but I’m not going into the year and checking on other guys to see how many errors they have or what’s their DRS or defensive WAR,” Hayes said. “It’s not something I think of year to year — even in the minor leagues, when I won them. I just get my work in every day. I take it just as seriously as my hitting. Every day when I’m out there, every inning, every pitch. If the ball is coming to me, I’m trying to catch it and get the out for the team and for the pitcher.
“Once the end of the season comes, the stats are what they are. I don’t really think about it too much. I just try to make every play.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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