Austin Hays Excels On Both Sides Of Ball

Best Player

Ask anyone in the organization about outfielder Austin Hays and they’ll talk about how he’s a complete player. Not just someone who puts up impressive offensive numbers, but someone who also is playing at a high level defensively.

The Orioles promoted Hays from high Class A Frederick to Double-A Bowie after he hit .328/.364/.592 with 15 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 45 RBIs in 64 games.

It was time. Hays was dominating the Carolina League, which chose him as its player of the week three times this year. In his final game with the Keys, he went 5-for-5 with two home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored.

Hays, a third-round pick in 2016 from Jacksonville, is projected by the Orioles as a center fielder or right fielder. He possesses the arm and the athleticism.

“Hays is going to be an above-average defender,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Those are the things you’re looking for with those guys. A lot of guys have hitting prowess, but can they play somewhere defensively that allows you to go through the growing pains that they have offensively?”

Biggest Leap Forward

The Orioles haven’t decided whether lefthander Tanner Scott is better suited to work out of the rotation or bullpen, but they’re fine with stretching him out in the Bowie rotation and letting him continue to develop.

They can figure it out later. For now, Scott is working three-inning starts in Double-A while piggybacking with another pitcher. He spent last season working exclusively as a reliever.

Scott, 22, always has intrigued scouts with a fastball that touches 100 mph. However, his inability to consistently find the strike zone figured to hold him back. He walked 57 batters in 64.1 innings last season, and he had walked 5.8 per nine innings through 15 starts this season.

Despite his wildness, Scott had recorded a 1.40 ERA this season and struck out 57 in 45 innings. Opponents hit just .172.

“He’s shown the ability to get himself back on track,” farm director Brian Graham said. “When he throws a couple balls, he can get the ball back in the strike zone. In the past, that wasn’t the case. Being able to self-correct is huge. Just the ability to throw two pitches for strikes is really big. When your velocity is 98-101 (mph), strikes are so important.”