Another look at an impressive power display on the farm in '17

Four players hit 32 or more home runs this year in Minor League Baseball. Three of the four played in the homer-happy Pacific Coast League. The only player that didn't was the Orioles' Austin Hays, who hit 32 between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie.

Houston's A.J. Reed hit 34 to lead all of the minors playing in the PCL. Former Oriole Christian Walker hit 32 for Arizona's PCL entry and Oakland's Renato Núñez hit 32 in the same league.

Hays had a monster season on the O's farm, one that led him from the 2016 draft all the way to the majors after just one full year in the minors. In 128 games for the Keys and Baysox, the 22-year-old hit .329/.365/.593 and he added 32 doubles, five triples, 81 runs and 95 RBIs. Hays led all minor league players in total bases (310) and ranked second in extra-base hits (69). He hit .411 against left-handers on the farm. His year included him taking the Brooks Robinson Award as the Orioles minor league Player of the Year. He was a national finalist for Baseball America's Player of the Year.

Hays' homer total this year was impressive and maybe unexpected. When Hays made his pro debut in 2016, he hit just four homers in 38 games for short-season Single-A Aberdeen.

In a September interview, Hays explained to me that there is one key reason for his power display this past season. Not long after he was drafted in round three in June 2016, several Orioles hitting coaches noticed he was not properly tapping into his power potential.

"In college, I would jump at the ball and allow my hands to drift forward with my body," Hays explained. "This season I've done a really good job of keeping my hands back, so I get those extra couple of inches of momentum and force and power into my swing. And I'm doing that more consistently now than ever.

"I started to understand that these couple of inches are making a big difference in being able to use center field and right-center instead of just yanking everything to left. This gave me a lot more power than I had before. In baseball, the tiniest thing can mean everything."

Yep, a couple of inches with the placement of his hands meant many more feet of distance when he would drive a ball this year.

Hays' 32 home runs are the most by an O's minor league player since Bowie's Joel Guzman hit 33 in 2010. Guzman was a minor league vet who had played briefly in the majors in 2006-07. Hays is an up-and-comer and has already done what Guzman did not: play in Baltimore.

Whether Hays makes the opening day roster or not, he's now on the 40-man and already has 63 big league plate appearances under his belt. His return to the majors is a matter of when, not if at this point.

During the recent Winter Meetings, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette noted the improved depth in the minors for the Orioles with young outfielders. They have been sought by other clubs in trade discussions, he said.

"Couple of clubs - they like our young outfielders and they requested them in our trade discussions," he said. "Several of our young outfielders clubs like. Which is good because we like them, too. We like Austin Hays, we like Cedric Mullins, we like DJ Stewart.

"We're going to get a chance to look at all of them this spring and see if they can help our ballclub. You've got a switch-hitter there in Mullins. You have a lefty hitter with power to the opposite field in Stewart and a pretty complete ballplayer in Hays. We've got three pretty good-looking outfielders with complementary skills and that was reflected by the other clubs in the discussions we had. So that to me was encouraging."

In addition to his impressive power display in 2017, Hays brings a lot more to the table. Solid defense, some speed, a good batting average and a lot of hustle. He has a future in Baltimore with a chance to become a homegrown All-Star if he keeps progressing.

By the way, here is an interesting comparison: Manny Machado reached the majors from Bowie in 2012 after playing 222 minor league games and getting 832 at-bats. Hays got to the majors after playing in 166 games and getting 663 minor league at-bats.

If Hays goes back to the minors to start 2018 and get more seasoning, there is nothing wrong with that. But thanks to a small coaching suggestion that produced big results, he would take a power bat with him.