Toolsy Hays is the kind of player Orioles can build around

Over the years, in both the minors and major leagues, Orioles outfielder Austin Hays has flashed his vast potential and multi-tool talent. He showed more of that during a 2021 season where he was able to stay on the field for 131 games and 529 plate appearances.

He ranked fourth on the team in both categories, behind only Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini and Ryan Mountcastle.

With young outfielders like Kyle Stowers and Robert Neustrom getting closer to the majors, and Yusniel Diaz still trying to show he can make it, it was a good season for Hays to establish something and remind observers he's a young and talented outfielder, too.

Hays was once considered a player that could hang with some of the best prospects in the game.

And if you think players like Stowers, Neustrom, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson had big years in 2021 - and they did - Hays had a year to top all of them in 2017.

Between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, Hays batted .329/.365/.593/.958 with 32 homers, which was second-most in the minors, and 95 RBIs. That season moved him up to No. 21 on Baseball America's national top 100 prospects list and to No. 23 by MLBPipeline.com. And he was the No. 1-ranked O's prospect.

Hays was a finalist for the Baseball America National Player of the Year award. It went to Ronald Acuña Jr., but Hays was a finalist with him and two future Toronto Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. So Hays was keeping very, very good company.

And for the Orioles last year, Hays batted .256/.308/.461/.769 with an OPS+ of 106 that was above league average. He recorded 26 doubles, four triples, 22 homers and 71 RBIs.

As the Orioles look to build a contending team, they could use more multi-faceted players like Hays - players that can beat you on offense and defense, players with a good combination of speed and power.

Some of the defensive metrics, for what it's worth, were fans of Hays in left field. He was fifth among American League left fielders in Defensive Runs Saved and ranked first in SABR's Defensive Index among AL left fielders, a metric that is used among other aspects to determine Gold Glove winners. Hays also recorded nine outfield assists.

An added bonus is that Hays is a homegrown Oriole, drafted in round three out of Jacksonville University, No. 91 overall, in 2016. He came up with players like Mullins and Mountcastle and they are close friends. The bonds made on the farm can carry over to the big leagues and it's a plus for the team.

Hays is under team control through at least 2025 and is not arbitration-eligible until after next season.

Hays was an impact player late this year for the Orioles. He hit safely in 49 of his last 58 games from Aug. 1 on, batting .279/.325/.509 with 25 extra-base hits. And he hit .283/.339/.594 with 16 extra-base hits in 27 games in September.

"I love the way Haysie has really come on in the second half," manager Brandon Hyde said during the season's final series at Toronto. "That's a huge boost for our organization, for him. A guy that's getting regular playing time. We saw the flashes of what he could be, the kind of player, exciting player. Just had a tough time staying on the field. And for him to finish the season the way he is, to be able to stay on the field this second half and play almost every single day - I don't even remember the last time I did give him a day off - it's been awesome.

"It's been awesome to see the at-bats getting better. The defense is extremely solid. I love the way he throws. It's been a great development year for him and hopefully a confidence booster going into next season."

We know Hays doesn't draw many walks, but he also is not a big strikeout guy, and if you put ball in play, something good could happen, especially with his speed. His strikeout rate of 20.3 was below average. Among the 11 Orioles this past year with 250 or more plate appearances, only Mullins (18.5) and Maikel Franco (16.6) had lower strikeout rates.

Hays showed us again that he can be a core part of the Orioles' future in 2021.