This was projected to be a breakout season for Austin Hays. And midway through the summer, it was looking like anything but.
Hays’s fourth year in the major leagues was not going well. After an 0-for-4 day on June 22, his average sat at .219, and he looked like yet another prospect whose development had stalled - or, even worse, regressed.
Now it’s the middle of September, and it’s time for anyone evaluating Hays to be singing a different tune. A hitting streak that reached 18 games got the buzz, but really over the course of the second half, Hays has been reminding fans everywhere that he belongs in the outfield discussion for the next few years - and he’s been finishing the season on a roll that, if it continues into 2022, can only help carry him to the next step as a player.