Hearing from Hays following amateur draft

BOSTON - Austin Hays may not be well-versed in his Orioles history, but he knows the quality that largely defines the team that drafted him.

"I know they've got a lot of power in their lineup this year," said Hays, the 91st overall pick in last week's amateur draft. "They've got a chance to make some history. And they're doing really well again this year. But I haven't followed them too much growing up. I didn't have any ties to Baltimore and the Orioles."

It all changed for Hays when the Orioles selected him in the third round out of Jacksonville University. He's taking his physical this week. The next phase of his life, the professional side, awaits him.

"I was very, very excited," Hays said. "Dream come true get to move on to next level. A lot of people don't get that opportunity, so to get the opportunity with the Orioles is that much better."

The news came to Hays while he was vacationing with his family in Daytona Beach. A nice touch to a day that already promised to be special for him.

"They have a time share there," he said. "Every single year, they stay there in the first week of June. It just lined up that they'd be there during the time of the draft and I was unable to go the last few years.

"All my family was there. It was nice to be with them. I was just waiting for the phone call and it happened with the Orioles really fast. I didn't really know they selected me until three or four seconds before it happened. I got the text and looked at the TV and saw that it happened. We were ecstatic.

"I knew they had some interest in me, but I didn't know they were really interested until a couple of days before the draft. I knew there was a chance they might take me."

Baseball America praised Hays for his power potential at the plate and his powerful arm, which led to his move from center field to right. The publication referred to him as a "prototypical right field prospect" while rating his arm as the best among all college outfielders.

"I played center field growing up my whole life," said Hays, who batted .350/.406/.655 with 16 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 42 RBIs in 54 games as a junior. He also stole 15 bases in 20 attempts and scored 48 runs.

"On the travel ball teams in high school I always played center field," he said, "but as I got older and the more my arm developed and I got stronger, I was put in right field. And then when I started hitting for power a little bit, that's kind of where I stayed."

The Orioles won't plant Hays at one position, not at the infant stages of his minor league career.

"He'll move around, but he played right field mostly this year," said Gary Rajsich, the Orioles' director of scouting. "I think he'll move around, but I suspect he'll primarily play right field."

The Orioles will assign Hays, 20, to short-season Single-A Aberdeen because he's fresh out of college. The high school picks gravitate to the Gulf Coast League.

How quickly can he move through the system? Hays is the wrong guy to ask. Some decisions are out of his hands. All he can do is influence them.

"I don't know," he said. "I just want to go and play really, really well and then I guess it's up to them. If I do my job and play really well and have success at each level, I can move up as fast as they want me to."

The Orioles like the momentum that Hays build during his junior season, and while scout Art McConnehead continued to track him.

"We liked him as five-tool player," Rajsich said. "He kind of came onto the scene this year. He had a good year and kind of surprised a lot of people because he wasn't that strong on a lot of people's radar. But we liked the tool package. He does everything. He can play all three outfield positions. He can run, he can really throw and we like his bat and power."

Hays said he grew up a "huge" Miguel Cabrera fan while he rooted for the Marlins. Carlos Delgado and Josh Beckett also were favorites.

"I'm from Florida," he said, "and it's a Florida team."

He may have been raised on stone crabs, but he's not completely unfamiliar with Maryland cuisine.

Hays made an unscheduled visit to Baltimore last year while his team was playing Mount St. Mary's in a spring tournament.

"It snowed and it was really bad weather," he said. "We got snowed out a couple days, so we took a trip to the city and got to go in the stadium, Camden Yards, and look around. We got crab cakes. It was nice to go for a day."

Crab cakes and baseball. He's on the right track.