Ke’Bryan Hayes has been praised for his defense since being drafted as a supplemental first rounder out of high school in 2015.
You could chalk that up to initial hype, as not every prospect lives up to their draft scouting grades. I could tell you about how Hayes lived up to the defensive hype in the eyes of scouts — including this writer, who covered him from day one in the minors.
I could also simply point to the stats. This year, Hayes ranks as one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball. He ranks first in Defensive Runs Saved (20), third in UZR/150 (5.