Take 5: Health of Hayes tops spring training storylines

Ke’Bryan Hayes knows his best ability for the Pittsburgh Pirates is his availability, and lingering injuries have been the biggest liability of his major-league career When healthy, Hayes is an elite defender at third base with an NL Gold Glove on his resume. He was a 4.0 WAR player voted the Pirates’ MVP in 2023 by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writer Association of America after batting .271/.309/.453 with 31 doubles, 15 home runs and 61 RBIs.

But if it wasn’t his wrist or thumb, it’s been a bothersome back and hip that has landed Hayes on the injured list and caused him to miss 40% of the games last season. Hayes batted .233 with a .573 OPS, four homers and 25 RBIs in 96 games last year, the worst season of his five-year major-league career.

“It’s mostly just feeling good physically,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told MLB Network in December. “We saw it last year, that he was dealing with some physical stuff, some nagging stuff that really limited how he was moving, how confident he was in moving. It seeped into different parts of his game.”

After shutting Hayes down in mid-August, Cherington said the Pirates were “feeling really good” about what they were hearing about his offseason. Over the weekend, in advance of pitchers and catchers reporting Wednesday, Hayes posted videos on social media of himself taking swings in batting practice, a positive sign for someone whose back has been such an issue.

The Pirates have insurance at third base in 2024 NL Gold Glove utility player Jared Triolo and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who won an AL Gold Glove with the Texas Rangers in 2020. But it’s not overstating to say Hayes could be a key to their season.

“When he’s feeling good physically, he’s an impact player at third base,” Cherington said, “and he’s really important to us.” 1. BOUNCING BACK?: Hayes isn’t the only Pirates player banking on a bounce-back season.

This could be a make-or-break year for Henry Davis, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick who has been a disappointment so far.

After starting 49 games in right field as a rookie, Davis spent the 2023 offseason focusing on catching. He was the Opening Day starter behind the plate last year but batted .144 with four doubles, one homer and five RBIs in 37 games in the majors.

Joey Bart enters spring training as the favorite to start at catcher. Davis will have competition in Jason Delay and Endy Rodriguez, who returns after missing most of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

2. WHO’S IN RIGHT?: The Pirates created a gaping hole in right field by non-tendering Bryan De La Cruz and Connor Joe this offseason and failing to make a splash in the free-agent pool.

They signed a pair of veterans to one-year contracts in 33-year-old Adam Frazier ($1.525 million) and Tommy Pham ($4 million), who turns 37 on March 8, to compete with Ji Hwan Bae, Billy Cook, Joshua Palacios, Jack Suwinski and Nick Yorke.

Frazier and Pham combined for 13 homers and 61 RBIs last season — hardly ideal corner outfield power numbers — but bring postseason experience. Frazier, an All-Star at second base in 2021, can play infield or outfield while Pham can play all three outfield spots.

Entering the spring, right field remains a glaring weakness. Then again, the Pirates could shift twotime All-Star Bryan Reynolds to right field, which would make left field the issue. 3. IS BUBBA READY?: With right-handers Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones and lefty Bailey Falter returning, the Pirates could have an interesting battle for the final spot in the starting rotation.

Johan Oviedo, who made 32 starts in 2023, returns from Tommy John surgery as the favorite to be the fifth starter. But he’ll have competition from top prospect Bubba Chandler, who will attempt to duplicate what Jones did last spring by earning his way onto the Opening Day roster.

“That’s something that doesn’t happen a lot,” said Chandler, a 22-year-old right-hander ranked the No. 7 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 15 by MLB Pipeline. “Jared is that type of guy. He’s that type of talented player that has the capability of doing that, and he did it last year. I don’t want to say I want to follow in his footsteps, but that would be awesome.”

Of course, Chandler’s career took off when he stopped focusing on promotions and concentrated on pitching. He went 10-7 with a 3.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 rate in 119 2/3 innings over 26 games (23 starts) across Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis last season. Chandler was 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 12.4 K/9 rate in seven starts at Indy.

And he’s going to have challenges coming from top-10 prospects in Thomas Harrington and Braxton Ashcraft and former top-10 prospect Mike Burrow, who made his MLB debut in September.

4. FIRST GLIMPSE OF GRIFFIN: Spring training will serve as the first chance to catch a glimpse of 2024 first-round pick Konnor Griffin, the Mississippi sensation who was the first prep player selected when the Pirates took him at No. 9.

The 6-4, 215-pound Griffin is considered a potential five-tool player and was regarded by MLB Pipeline draft analyst Jim Callis as having the “highest ceiling” of any player in the draft. MLB Pipeline ranks Griffin No. 43 in its top 100 prospect list, while Baseball America has him at No. 57.

When Griffin signed for a $6,532,025 bonus — $315,425 over slot value — Cherington raved about tapping into his immense potential.

“This is someone that people want to work with,” Cherington said. “There’s a lot of things that he has a chance to do on a baseball field that not everyone can do.”

5. MORE TO COME?: For those peeved at the Pirates for spending only $14.7 million on five free agents this offseason, with incumbent designated hitter Andrew McCutchen the highest-paid at $5 million, this is a reminder that they made late moves last year.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal and lefty reliever Josh Fleming signed Feb. 14, the day pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor didn’t sign until mid-March.

Shortstop Paul DeJong, who hit 24 homers for the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals last season, and outfielder Alex Verdugo are among the top remaining free agents available. And when third baseman Alex Bregman signs, it could create a domino effect on the trade market for teams seeking help at the hot corner.