Austin Hays

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Austin Charles Brian Hays

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Biographical Information[edit]

When OF Austin Hays made his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles on September 7, 2017, he became the first player selected in the 2016 amateur draft to do so. He had been a 3rd-round selection and raced through the minor leagues. In 2016, he hit .336/.386/.514 in 38 games for the Aberdeen IronBirds of the New York-Penn League. He then skipped a level by beginning 2017 in Class A-Advanced, with the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League and continued to hit well, with a line of .328/.364/.592 and 16 homers in 64 games. In mid-year he was promoted to the AA Bowie BaySox and almost exactly reproduced his batting line from the first half, as he went .330/.367/.594 also with 16 homers and also in 64 games. Combined, that gave him 32 homers, 95 RBIs and a .329 ERA, earning him the call-up to the Show faster than anyone could have anticipated. In 20 games for Baltimore, he hit .217 with 1 homer and 8 RBIs, playing in right field and center. His first big league homer came on September 16th off Chasen Shreve of the New York Yankees in a 9-3 loss.

His ascension was slowed down by injuries in 2018, as he was limited to 75 games in the minors, including a 9-game rehabilitation assignment back with Aberdeen. With Bowie, he hit .242/.271/.432 in 66 games, his lack of on-base skills compensated to some extent by his 12 homers and 43 RBIs. He got back on track in 2019, although he still had injury issues, spending time with both Aberdeen and Frederick in addition to Bowie and the AAA Norfolk Tides. Between the four teams, his batting line was .248/.299/.464. He returned to Baltimore for 21 games and did well, hitting .309 with 6 doubles and 4 homers, good for a slugging percentage of .574.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he appeared in 33 of the Orioles' 60 games, hitting .279 with 4 homers and 9 RBIs (but 20 runs scored), for an OPS+ of 96. He became a full-time starter in 2021, logging 131 games for the last-place team while appearing principally in left field (88 games) and right field (54 games) - his main position had been center field the previous two seasons, but the emergence of Cedric Mullins as an All-Star pushed him to the corners. He batted .256 with 22 homers and 71 RBIs, improving his OPS+ to 108. The Orioles actually were starting to put together a decent line-up that season, with him, Mullins and 1B Ryan Mountcastle leading the way, but were hampered by some terrible pitching. In 2022 he was once again starting almost every day in one of the two outfield corners on a team that was still last, but much more competitive than the previous few editions. On June 22nd, he hit for the cycle in a game against the Washington Nationals, starting modestly with an infield single in the 1st, then followed with a homer in the 3rd and a triple in the 4th before the game was interrupted by a rain delay in the 5th. He got the double in the 6th, with rain again falling and the game was stopped again, this time definitely, at the end of the inning with the O's winning, 7-0. Hays also recorded an outfield assist in the game, which was only the 6th cycle by an Orioles player since the team had moved to the city in 1954. He finished the season at .250 in 145 games, with 16 homers, 60 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 105.

In 2023, the Orioles vaulted to first place in the American League and Hays had his best season, making the Americal League All-Star team as he hit .275 in 144 games, with 16 homers and 67 RBIs, his OPS+ reaching 114. He made his postseason debut that year by appearing in all three games of the Division Series against the Texas Rangers and going 3 for 11 with a double. But the Orioles were only getting started, and they had talented players coming up left and right who demanded playing time. Hays had the misfortune of starting the 2024 season slowly, hitting just .111 in April before losing a month to a left calf strain. He hit a lot better after returning in mid-May, batting .267 that month and .375 in 18 games in June, but competition for playing time was fierce. On July 26th, the Orioles decided to trade him to the Philadelphia Phillies, in return for P Seranthony Dominguez and OF Christian Pache. It was an usual deal for one taking place just before the trading deadline, as both teams involved were in first place in their respective division, but they were also both dealing from a position of strength in order to address a clear need.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • AL All-Star (2023)
  • 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2021)

Further Reading[edit]

  • Zachary Silver: "Hays gets MLB's 3rd June cycle: 'Epic game': 6 innings enough for Orioles' CF to achieve feat in rain-shortened victory", mlb.com, June 23, 2022. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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