Austin Hays was 12 at-bats shy of 500 this past season. Now that’s progress. But still, the notion that Hays would have a breakout campaign simply by avoiding injury and playing full time proved false.
Entering the 2021 season, expectations for Austin Hays were similar to the previous couple of years — minimize the injuries and establish himself as one of the O’s everyday outfielders, maybe even the everyday center fielder.
As a matter of fact, Hays and Cedric Mullins were sharing center field duties this past spring in Sarasota. But once the regular season began, Hays played the first three games before succumbing to injury.