When it comes to the Pittsburgh Pirates, there’s usually plenty of uncertainty to go around.
But entering the 2021 season, one position that seemed locked up for the better part of a decade or so was third base.
Ke’Bryan Hayes burst on the scene part-way through the truncated 2020 coronavirus season and looked like Superman in cleats, hitting .376 with a 1.124 OPS, showing pop that he’d never exhibited while coming up through the Minors.
No one figured Hayes would put up those types of numbers in 2021, but many thought even if he regressed to a more realistic level, he could be one of the National League’s top third baseman, given his all-world defensive abilities.