Biography
Ke'Bryan Kobe Hayes (/ˈkiːbraɪæn/ KEE-bry-an; born January 28, 1997) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.
Amateur career
Hayes attended Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas. He committed to play college baseball at the University of Tennessee. In 2015, as a high school senior, Hayes hit .436 with three home runs, 27 runs batted in (RBI), and 12 stolen bases.
Professional career
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Hayes in the first round, with the 32nd overall selection, of the 2015 MLB draft. Foregoing his college commitment, Hayes signed with Pittsburgh, and spent 2015 with both the Gulf Coast League Pirates and the West Virginia Black Bears, batting a combined .308, with 20 RBI, in 56 games.
In 2016, Hayes spent the season with the West Virginia Power, where he earned South Atlantic League All-Star honors and compiled a .263 average, with six home runs, and 37 RBI, in 65 games. In 2017, Hayes moved up with the Bradenton Marauders, where he batted .278, with two home runs, and 43 RBI, in 108 games and was named a Florida State League All-Star.
Hayes played for the Altoona Curve in 2018, and was named an Eastern League All-Star and slashing .293/.375/.444 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs in 117 games. In 2019, Hayes split the season between the West Virginia Black Bears and the Indianapolis Indians, hitting .261/.334/.411/.745, with 10 home runs, and 55 RBI. Following the season, he was added to the Pirates 40-man roster.
On July 19, 2020, it was announced that Hayes had tested positive for COVID-19. On September 1, 2020, the Pirates promoted him to the majors. Making his MLB debut the same day, he hit his first career home run against the Chicago Cubs. Hayes received five votes in 2020 National League Rookie of the Year voting, finishing in sixth place.
In his 2021 season debut against the Cubs, Hayes hit a home run in his first at bat of the season. On April 4, 2021, Hayes was placed on the 10-day injured list due to left wrist inflammation after leaving a game the previous day because of the injury. On May 9, Hayes was placed on the 60-day injured list. He was activated on June 3. On June 11, Hayes became the quickest Pirate to 20 career extra-base hits in the modern era, one game faster than Barry Bonds.
Hayes finished the 2021 season batting .257/.316/.373 with 6 home runs, 38 RBIs and 9 stolen bases in 96 games. He was awarded the Fielding Bible Award for excellent defense as a third baseman.
On April 7, 2022, Hayes agreed to an eight-year, $70 million contract extension with the Pirates, which became official on April 12.
On November 5, 2023, Hayes won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for NL third basemen, breaking Nolan Arenado's streak of 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards.
Personal life
Ke'Bryan is the son of Charlie Hayes, who played for 14 seasons in MLB. His older brother Tyree was a pitcher in the minor leagues.