Married, wife's name is Samantha. The couple has two sons, Levi and Hayden...Has a dog named Luna...Enjoys hunting in the offseason...Austin hit a home run at the first Spring Training game his son Levi went to in 2021 and the Hays family kept the ball...His go-to karaoke song is "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks..."He's one of the toughest players I've ever been around." – Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde, June, 4, 2023...If he could trade places with anyone it would be his wife so he could see what he is like from her point of view...Is scared of heights...Is from the same hometown as former Oriole Luke Scott...Attended Jacksonville University (Fla.) and Spruce Creek (Fla.) HS...Was teammates with current Oriole Mike Baumann in college at Jacksonville (2015-16)...Participated in the 2023 and 2020 Birdland Caravans...Does not wear batting gloves because he would go through them quickly when he was little and didn’t want his mom to have to keep buying new ones...Hit .352/.408/.662 (77-for-219) with 16 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 47 runs scored, 42 RBI and 15 stolen bases as a junior at Jacksonville University (Fla.) in 2016...Also played one season at Seminole State (Fla.) in 2014, where he was named Team MVP, First Team All-Conference and Outstanding Freshman Athlete of the Year.
2023
Appeared on his fourth consecutive Opening Day roster...Slashed .275/.325/.444 (143-for-520) with 36 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 76 runs scored, 67 RBI, 38 walks and five stolen bases in 144 games...Set career highs in runs, hits, doubles, extra-base hits (53), multi-hit games (40), walks and stolen bases...Selected to his first career All-Star game and made the start in center field for the AL, batting seventh and becoming the first Oriole to start a Midsummer Classic since Cedric Mullins in 2021. Went 1-for-2 with a single...Tallied five straight multi-hit games from 6/15-20, the second-longest streak by an O’s batter in 2023 behind Anthony Santander’s six-gamer from 5/2-7...Collected four hits and four RBI on 9/6 at LAA. Since the start of 2022, his eight games with at least four hits are tied for third in MLB...Posted his fifth career multi-homer game on 9/19 at HOU (last: 2, 9/15/21 vs. NYY). Tied a season high with four RBI (also: 9/6 at LAA)...Ranked third on the O’s with six Defensive Runs Saved per Sports Info Solutions...Did not commit an error in 1,195.1 innings in the outfield (260 TC). According to STATS Perform, he is the 10th O’s outfielder since 1954 to not commit an error in a season (min. 100 G) and first since Cedric Mullins in 2022. He was one of seven outfielders in MLB in 2023 to play at least 100 games without an error...Ranked tied for ninth in MLB infielder runs (two) per Statcast. Baserunning/arm value is a metric designed to use data to evaluate the performance of baserunners and outfielders in taking or preventing extra bases...Made his postseason debut, starting all three games of the ALDS vs. TEX and going 3-for-11 with a double, a run scored, two walks and three strikeouts.
2022
Made his third straight Opening Day roster and spent the entire season on the active roster...Set career highs in games (145), plate appearances (582), at-bats (535), hits (134), doubles (35), extra-base hits (53), walks (34) and hit-by-pitches (10); tied for the O's lead in doubles with Adley Rutschman and finished second on the Orioles in extra-base hits behind Anthony Santander's 57...Hit for the sixth cycle in Orioles history on 6/22 vs. WSH, first since Jonathan Villar on 8/5/19 vs. NYY, and second to do so in four plate appearances (Félix Pie on 8/14/09 vs. LAA); did so in six innings, quickest in O's history, and first MLB player to do so since Freddie Freeman on 8/18/21 at MIA w/ ATL; became the 11th player in the expansion era (since 1961) to hit for the cycle in his first four plate appearances from the leadoff spot, per the Elias Sports Bureau...Hit a solo home run into the second deck in left field on 6/7 vs. CHC, the seventh second-deck homer in Oriole Park history and the fourth by an O's batter; the blast traveled 464 feet, a career-high and sixth-longest by an Oriole in the Statcast era...Batted .270/.325/.454 (88-for-326) with 22 doubles, one triple, 12 homers, 46 runs, 46 RBI, 20 walks, seven hit-by-pitches and one stolen base in 85 games before the All-Star Break; slashed .220/.276/.349 (46-for-209) with 13 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 20 runs, 14 RBI, 14 walks, three hit-by-pitches and one stolen base in 60 games after the break...Led the Orioles and was one of nine MLB players with at least four games with 4+ hits...Had a 13-game hitting streak, the second-longest by an Oriole in 2022, from 5/20 to 6/2; slashed .340/.411/.480 (17-for-50) with one double, two homers, 10 runs, 12 RBI, five walks, one hit-by-pitch and one stolen base during the stretch...Reached safely in a season-high 16 straight games, tied for the third-longest by an O's batter in 2022, from 9/11-30...Appeared in 86 games (82 GS) in left field, 58 games (51 GS) in right field and six games (three GS) in center field; compiled a .996 fielding percentage (one E, 285 TC)...Finished second on the O's, tied for fifth in the American League, and tied for 11th in MLB with eight outfield assists; his 17 total outfield assists the last two years are the most by an Oriole in a two-year span since Adam Jones also had 17 from 2015-16.
2021
Had the second-highest fWAR (2.4) among O’s hitters, behind only Cedric Mullins (5.3)..Had a career-long 17-game hitting streak from 8/24-9/11 (G1), the second-longest streak by an O’s batter in 2021 (20 G - Mullins) and tied for the seventh-longest streak in MLB...Reached base safely in a career-long 20-straight games to finish the season, the longest streak to finish the season in MLB, and tied with Cedric Mullins for the longest streak by an O’s batter in 2021...Raised his OPS from .686 on 8/24 to .769 to finish the season (+.083)…Hit safely in 49 of his last 58 games from 8/1, slashing .279/.325/.509 (62-for-222) with 25 XBH (12 HR, 11-2B, 2-3B)…Slashed .283/.339/.594 (30-for-106) with 16 XBH (8 HR, 7-2B, 3B) and 21 RBI in 27 games in September and hit safely in 24 of the 27; is a career .297/.343/.537 (84-for-283) hitter with 35 XBH (16 HR, 18-2B, 3B) and 46 RBI in 81 September games, all monthly career-highs...Led the O’s with 31 XBH (16-2B, 2-3B, 13 HR) after the All-Star Break...His three multi-homer games ranked second on the team behind Cedric Mullins (4).
2020
Hit the 23rd inside-the-park home run in Orioles history on 8/11 at PHI leading off the 10th inning; the first O’s inside-the-park home run since Robert Andino on 9/26/11 vs. BOS...Matched his career-high with three hits four times during the season; 8/7 at WSH, 9/23 at BOS, 9/24 at BOS, 9/26 at TOR (seven total times in his career)...Recorded three outfield assists (2-LF, 1-CF), second-most on the O’s; recorded a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) in 70 total chances...Appeared in his first career game in LF, making the start there on 9/14 at ATL; has 42 career starts (51 games) in CF, 12 starts (17 games) in RF, and eight starts (10 games) in LF...Hit .351 (13-for-37) with three home runs when leading off an inning...Recorded seven multi-hit games and hit .377 (20-for-53) with three home runs and 12 runs scored in 14 September games...Hit safely in 10-of-14 games after returning from the IL on 9/14 (non-displaced rib fracture)...Raised his batting average from .203 to .279 after coming off the Injured List...28 of his 34 hits on the season were singles...Of the 40 career games in which he has recorded a hit, 21 have been multi-hit games...Batted .306 (15-for-49) in 14 Interleague games...Homered in consecutive games (9/23-24) for the first time in his career...Recorded the Orioles first SB of the season on 7/30 vs. NYY...Appeared on his first career Opening Day roster.
2019
According to STATS, LLC., Hays became the first Major League rookie to have five-or-more RBI, a stolen base, and an outfield assist in the same game (9/23 at TOR) since RBI became an official stat in 1920...Registered a career-high seven-game hitting streak from 9/16-23, hitting .344 (11-for-32) during this stretch...Recorded his first career two-home run game on 9/23 at TOR; also recorded a career-high five RBI, while also recording his first career stolen base...Batted .419 (18-for-43) against right-handers and .120 (3-for-25) against left-handers...Hit .417 (5-for-12) with nine RBI with runners in scoring position...Collected a career-high three hits three times during the season (9/11 vs. LAD, 9/18 vs. TOR, 9/23 at TOR)...Hit safely in 12 of his 15 starts with the Orioles, hitting .333 (21-for-63) in that span...Recorded his first career multi-double game on 9/18 vs. TOR...Made the MLB Network Play of the Week for the week of 9/22 for his home run-saving catch vs. TOR on 9/19...Recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on 9/7 and played that night; his first big league appearance since 10/1/17...Hit .254 (61-for-240) with 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 43 runs, and 27 RBI in 59 games with Norfolk...Batted .248 (87-for-351) with 17 home runs across four different minor league levels for the season.
2018
Entered the season ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Orioles organization, according to Baseball America...Entered the season as a top 100 prospect according to Baseball America (No. 21) MLB.com (No. 23), and Baseball Prospectus (No. 72)...Played in 66 games for Double-A Bowie and nine rehab games for Short-Season A Aberdeen, hitting a combined .235 (73-for-310)...Hit a combined .273 (27-for-99) with eight doubles, six home runs, 12 runs, and 25 RBI in 23 games in August and September...Homered in back-to-back games (9/2 and 9/3) to finish the season...Placed on the minor league disabled list on 5/29 (retroactive to 5/26); reinstated from the DL on 8/7...Recalled from Double-A Bowie on 9/24 and placed on the 60-day disabled list (right ankle surgery).
2017
Ranked as the No. 98 prospect in Baseball America's Midseason Top 100 Prospect rankings...Entered 2017 as the No. 7 Orioles prospect according to Baseball America... Named the Orioles Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year...Had his contract selected from Double-A Bowie on 9/5...Became the first player from the 2016 Draft class to reach the majors...Made his Major League debut on 9/7 vs. NYY as a defensive replacement in right field, he went 0-for-1...Made his first Major League start on 9/9 at CLE in right field, he went 0-for-2...Recorded his first Major League hit on 9/16 at NYY, with a single in the third inning...Slugged his first Major League home run in the ninth inning of the same game...Hit safely in seven of eight games from 9/16-23, batting .355 (11-for-31) with three doubles, one home run, and eight RBI... Named an MLBPipeline.com Outfield Prospect of the Year...Named a finalist for Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year Award...Was a Mid-Season All-Star with Class-A Advanced Frederick...Named a three-time Carolina League Player of the Week award winner...Named the Orioles Minor League Player of the Month for June...Led the minors in total bases (310), and ranked second in home runs (32) and extra-base hits (69)...In 128 minor league games (Frederick and Bowie), he hit .329/.365/.593 (172-for-523) with 32 doubles, five triples, 32 home runs, 81 runs, and 95 RBI...Hit .411 (62-for-151) against left-handers in the minors.
