Austin Hays: Carolina League Player of the Week

[weams]

The Frederick Keys are excited to announce that Keys outfielder,Austin Hays, has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for May 15-21. He becomes the first Keys player to win a weekly award in 2017.

 

Hays, 21, batted .438 (14-for-32) over seven games with two home runs, six doubles, six RBIs to go along with an .813 slugging percentage. From May 15-19 he recorded five consecutive multi-hit games, while Hays’ best contest came on May 18, when he went 4-for-6 with three RBIs and two doubles. In the process, he set new season-highs for hits and RBIs.

 

In 38 games this season, Hays is batting .320 (49-for-153) with five home runs, 20 RBIs, seven doubles, three triples and 23 runs scored. Entering Monday’s action, the outfielder is fifth in the circuit in hits (49) and total bases (77) and sixth in the Carolina League in hitting. Earlier this season, Hays tallied a 21-game on-base streak from April 7-28.

 

Rated as the No. 7 prospect in the Orioles system according to Baseball America Hays is in his first full professional season. In 2016, he played for the Short-Season Aberdeen IronBirds where he batted .336 in 38 games with four homers and 21 RBIs. Selected by Baltimore in the third round of the 2016 draft out of Jacksonville State, Hay he led the Atlantic Sun Conference with 16 home runs.

 

[sportsfan8703]

He seemed like a steal when we drafted him last June.  He's done nothing but exceed expectations.  Our OF depth in the Org. went from non existent to now we have Mancini, Rickard, Mullins, Stewart, Hays and if we can somehow string this Santander decision out till next year.