A little more on Hays' value and Orioles' defense

The ball is dropping soon to signal a new year, and improvements in the Orioles’ defense have robbed me of my annual quip about popups.

This isn’t the 2018 team that ranked near or at the bottom in pretty much every advanced metric. Or the 2003 team that was guilty of a misplayed grounder, missed cutoff man, botched rundown and fumbled double play ball – in the first inning in Toronto. True story.

Third baseman Tony Batista had lots of power, but also 20 errors and a .950 fielding percentage.

Makes one yearn for Wilson Betemit. Horror story.

Orioles left fielders over the years have included Curt Blefary, Jeff Stone, Lonnie Smith and Pete Incaviglia. The adventures with the deeper wall and 90-degree angle would have been legendary.

Austin Hays brings a Gold Glove nomination and elicits lots of comfort and confidence.

Hays didn’t commit an error in 1,195 1/3 innings in the outfield, the 10th Orioles outfielder to go errorless in a season in a minimum 100 games, and his six defensive runs saved ranked third on the club. He also threw out four runners.

Manager Brandon Hyde trusts him more than anyone in left. It isn’t a simple swap on days that he’s rested.

Hays also is one of the Orioles’ most important players because he can back up center fielder Cedric Mullins, a necessity in the past during Ryan McKenna’s shuttling back down to Triple-A Norfolk. Colton Cowser can play center but he might not make the club. McKenna is out of options and signed for $800,000 to avoid arbitration, but he might not be around on Opening Day.

I haven't read the contract but I'm assuming that it didn't come with a sure-thing clause. And I'm not sure how the Orioles could carry McKenna, Cowser and Heston Kjerstad as extra outfielders unless they'd go with only one spare infielder.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, who celebrated his 41^st birthday yesterday, could seek a replacement for veteran Aaron Hicks despite the internal options that he mentioned at the Winter Meetings. Hicks made 32 starts in center, 13 in right and eight in left.

A new outfielder probably would bring similar versatility, with experience in center an appealing quality.  

Maybe he arrives later in the winter. After the last cork is popped on New Year’s Eve and the last aspirins are swallowed the next morning.

A Gold Glove would come more easily to Hays if Steven Kwan moved out of left. Kwan is a back-to-back winner who committed four errors this year but also threw out 10 runners, was worth nine outs above average and had 16 defensive runs saved.

Orioles players received MLB Network’s “Electric Play of the Week” seven times this year, led by Mullins’ four. Infielder Gunnar Henderson had two and Hays had one.

Mullins’ five career “Play of the Week” awards are the most since it was introduced in 2019. No other player owns more than three.

The Orioles’ 11 “Electric Play of the Week” awards since 2019 lead the majors.