Austin Hays’ Orioles teammates believe he’s deserving of an All-Star nod: ‘It’s been a special first half’

The Orioles didn’t sink when center fielder Cedric Mullins went on the injured list, and the unexpected slugging of Aaron Hicks and Ryan O’Hearn has largely been credited as the reason — and rightfully so.

But that’s also because the way Austin Hays is playing is no longer a surprise. With Mullins sidelined, Hays hit .343 with a superb .909 OPS — close to his season averages. The 27-year-old leads the American League with a .318 batting average, and his .866 OPS is best among Baltimore’s qualified hitters.

“He’s been doing amazing,” Hicks said about Hays. “I feel like every time I’m up to bat, he’s either on second or on first. It’s impressive.”

Despite his stellar first half, Hays came nowhere close to advancing to the second phase of All-Star Game fan voting. He finished 14th among AL outfielders — more than 400,000 votes away from being top six and advancing. Now, Hays’ chance of making his first All-Star Game in his sixth big league season is up to the players’ ballot and the Commissioner’s Office, which together determine the contest’s reserves.

“I don’t know exactly why he didn’t get as much love and didn’t make it to the next round of the All-Star voting,” O’Hearn said. “In my opinion, he absolutely deserves to be out there and be an All-Star.”

Mullins, who was having an All Star-worthy campaign before his injury, returned from the IL on Saturday in Baltimore’s 6-4 win, saying before the game that Hays “100%” deserves a spot on the AL’s roster.

“The results that he’s getting, it’s nothing that’s too much of a surprise to me,” Mullins said.

Since the voting began, manager Brandon Hyde has been adamant that Hays deserves to be an All-Star. On Tuesday, when he was asked about Adley Rutschman leading AL catchers in fan voting, Hyde later asked where Hays ranked. Once he heard how low, Hyde responded, “That’s terrible.”

“Well, he’s on the All-Star team for me,” Hyde said Friday. “He has had an incredible first half — offensively, defensively, just what he brings every day for us, an everyday player just absolutely producing in every facet. Love the way he’s using the whole field, he hits with power, he’s got speed, he’s gotten some big RBI hits for us and to play left field defense here is not easy and he’s done it the best way you possibly can.

“I love to see our guys get recognized, and Austin should be recognized for what he’s done so far this half. … It’s been a special first half.”

A strong first half isn’t new for Hays. Last year, he was perhaps the Orioles’ best hitter through the first three months with an OPS over .800 and a batting average over .275. But he struggled in the second half, hitting .220 with a .622 OPS over the final three months as he played through a wrist injury he suffered in June.

Hays has often said that being healthy for a full season is his overarching goal, trusting that good health will produce positive results at the plate. Hyde agrees.

“He’s not playing banged up right now, and I think last year he definitely did the second half,” Hyde said. “He’s showing everybody the kind of player he can be.”

Hays said he hasn’t felt this good since 2017, when he was a promising prospect who dominated the minors to earn his first big league call-up in September.

“I think this is the most consistent I’ve been for a stretch of time since my 2017 season,” Hays said. “But definitely in the big leagues, this is the most consistent stretch I’ve had of good mechanics, good health and getting good results.”

Hays, who usually bats in the No. 5 hole against right-handers and the leadoff spot versus lefties, has yet to go through a noticeable slump this season. His OPS has been above .800 every day since April 10 and his batting average above .300 since May 21. He also has one of the strongest outfield arms in the sport, evidenced by his four assists.

Hays has been Baltimore’s most valuable player by wins above replacement on FanGraphs, ahead of Rutschman, who could start the Midsummer Classic at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park if fans vote for him over Texas Rangers backstop Jonah Heim. Hays’ 2.0 WAR ranks ninth among AL outfielders.

Hays said being named an All-Star would be a “bonus” to the success he and the Orioles (46-29) are having this year.

“It’s not going to change how I feel about how I’ve played so far or what this team is doing, how many games we’re winning,” Hays said. “We do have somebody on the list that is getting a lot of talk, and it’s looking like he has a good chance to start right now. I’m glad that somebody’s getting a lot of recognition, I’m glad the fans are getting one of us on there.

“It would be a huge honor,” he added. “It’s just an accolade that’s next to your name forever, and it’s something I’d be able to tell my kids one day if that is something that happens. It would mean a lot to me, but we’ll see what happens.”

There’s little on Hays’ stat page that isn’t impressive. According to Baseball Savant, he ranks in the top 30% of MLB hitters in average exit velocity, expected batting average, expected slugging percentage and barrel percentage. He ranked in the bottom 40% in each of those metrics last year.

In 69 games this season, Hays’ 22 barrels — the quality of contact Baseball Savant deems most likely to produce a positive result — is the same number he totaled in all of 2022. Entering Saturday, his chase rate was down 6.7 percentage points, while his hard-hit rate was up 5.8 points. Simply put, he’s swinging out of the zone less often and hitting pitches in the zone hard more often.

“You look at his numbers, and he’s putting up a great year,” outfielder Ryan McKenna said. “Every time I get to play with him, I see the work that he puts in and the knowledge that he has about the game. Just the way he approaches the game of baseball is very elite. He’s a very talented player, and I definitely think an opportunity for him at the All-Star Game would be deserving.”

O’Hearn theorized that Hays perhaps didn’t get the recognition from MLB fans because he’s not as flashy as many of the game’s stars, instead praising his teammate’s dependability.

“The way the nature of the game is right now, maybe the flash is what people like and are attracted to,” O’Hearn said. “But he’s been as good as it gets. He’s been an All-Star in my opinion, been the leader of this team and been such a big part of our offense and defense all season.”

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