Orioles tap Hays as top Minor Leaguer

No. 2 Baltimore prospect's breakout year earns him Robinson award

Austin Hays skipped Triple-A en route to his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles. (Terrance Williams/MiLB.com)

By Michael Leboff

September 22, 2017

Just over two weeks after making his Major League debut, Austin Hays added another feather to his already crowded cap Thursday. Baltimore's No. 2 prospect was named the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, capping off a breakout campaign that found him jumping straight from Double-A Bowie to the

Just over two weeks after making his Major League debut, Austin Hays added another feather to his already crowded cap Thursday.
Baltimore's No. 2 prospect was named the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, capping off a breakout campaign that found him jumping straight from Double-A Bowie to the Major Leagues.

Prior to reaching "The Show," Hays posted a .330/.367/.594 slash line with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs over 64 games in the Eastern League. Those numbers were nearly identical to the ones he put up at Class A Advanced Frederick, where he went deep 16 times and drove in 41 runs while sporting a .328/.364/.592 line. MLB.com's No. 91 prospect finished this season tied for second in the Minors with 32 homers overall.

Congratulations to Austin Hays, our Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year! #Birdland pic.twitter.com/XS2aMvECXq
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 21, 2017

Since being taken in the third round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, Hays has hit .330/.370/.576 with 36 long balls and 116 RBIs in 166 career Minor League games.
Since joining the Orioles on Sept. 5, the 22-year-old outfielder is batting .290/.313/.452 with a home run, two doubles and five RBIs.

Michael Leboff is a contributor to MiLB.com.

Austin Hays