PITTSBURGH -- Ke'Bryan Hayes wasn’t always the best fielder in his family growing up. His dad, Charlie, played 14 years in the Majors, and Tyree, the middle of three Hayes sons, was the fielder Ke’Bryan looked up to at a young age.

Ke’Bryan showed a knack in the field early, especially at shortstop and third base. At the same time, his dad and brother kept hammering home the same message.

“If you weren’t catching the ball, you weren’t on the field,” Hayes said. “As I got older, they stressed to me that when you get older, you’re not always going to get three or four hits a game. You’ve got to be able to impact the game -- like base running or, more importantly, defense. Defense is going to win games at the end of the day.”

Needless to say, their teaching resonated. Hayes has become arguably the best fielder in the game, and his 64 defensive runs saved since 2020 are 20 more than the next closest player during that stretch (current teammate Michael A. Taylor had 44 defensive runs saved during that time). Last year, Hayes was recognized for his outstanding defense, winning his first Gold Glove Award, which he received as part of the Pirates’ home opener festivities on Friday.

In Miami, Hayes rewatched some of his most difficult successful plays from 2023 and broke down his thinking and process, giving some insight into how a Gold Glove Award winner approaches his craft. Some answers were briefly condensed for clarity, with follow ups in italics.

PLAY 1
Game: April 9, 2023, at home
Batter: Oscar Colás, top 7
Key stat: Needed to cover 94 feet on the throw

“A lot of times, some guys peek a little bit when they’re either walking to the plate or they first get in there. I was kind of anticipating it. If I have a slight feeling, especially first pitch -- sometimes they can kind of get you if they have a strike on them already -- but sometimes, whether they bunt or not, I anticipate it, and I think that might have saved me a little bit on that one.”

PLAY 2
Game: June 11, 2023, at home
Batter: Tommy Pham, top 4
Key stat: Pham was running at 29.4 ft./sec

“It’s one of those balls, right on right, sinker, so when they get around it, it has that spin going to the line. If your first step isn’t inside that ball, sometimes you’ve got to backhand it. Tommy Pham runs really well, so I knew I had to get rid of it pretty quick. It’s one of those do-or-die plays.

“A lot of times when you have those types of plays, you just try to be the best athlete you can. Get rid of it, make the strongest throw you can.”

PLAY 3
Game: Aug. 28, 2023, at Kansas City
Batter: Bobby Witt Jr., bottom 6
Key stat: Witt’s batted ball had a 106 mph exit velocity

“Since [Johan Oviedo] is pitching, he’s got that running fastball. Witt’s a guy who does a lot of damage to the pull side. He’s ahead in the count. I have the PitchCom now, so I know what pitch is coming. You have to anticipate the ball’s coming to you, so when they smoke one, hopefully it doesn’t catch you by surprise. A lot of times on these plays, you just try your best to be as athletic as possible.”

How much does having the PitchCom impact your setup?

“I think a lot. A lot of times in my head, I’m playing out outcomes that can happen, whether there’s guys on or not. The PitchCom takes a little bit of that element out of each pitch. Knowing who’s coming, who’s hitting, what type of pitches they hit, where they hit certain pitches. Imagine if you’re hitting and you know what pitch is coming. That’s how much that helps me.”

PLAY 4
Game: Sept. 19, 2023, at Chicago
Batter: Nico Hoerner, bottom 6
Key stat: It took Hayes 0.53 seconds to exchange the ball from the glove to his hand

“Nico hits -- I wouldn’t say a good amount of ground balls, but with our pitching staff, we get a good amount of ground balls. It’s one of those plays where it’s kind of in between. Sometimes it’s loud and the shortstop doesn’t really hear you call for it. As an infielder at third, and even at short when I was younger, those balls where you’re meeting [with another infielder], I was always taught growing up to get everything. Get everything you can. If it gets past you, that guy will be behind you.”

Also, that transfer...

“Knowing how soft it was hit and knowing the angle I had to go at, I knew I had to get rid of it quick because Nico runs really well. Just a lot of reps.”

PLAY 5
Game: Sept. 24, 2023, at Cincinnati
Batter: Jake Fraley, bottom 1
Key stat: Hayes accelerates and decelerates from 25.8 ft./sec, just 1.3 ft./sec off his average sprint speed

“I feel like pop-ups down the line, I’ve gotten a lot better at those as I’ve gotten older. I feel like being familiar with the ballpark, and really, when that ball’s in the air, being able to check where you are. It really comes down to knowing the ballpark and knowing how much room you have.”

Are you keeping an ear out for a coach or someone?

“Yeah, a lot of times you can hear them, but a lot of times, I like to rely on myself, especially with those. They’re seeing a whole different angle than I am, but it helps to hear them saying, ‘you have room, you have room.’”