Ke’Bryan Hayes favored to win 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Award

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes made quite an impression in his brief initial stint as a major-leaguer in 2020, as he finished sixth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting despite playing only 24 games.

With his rookie status still intact, Hayes is the +400 favorite to win the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Award. Let’s break down his chances, as well as those of second-choice Sixto Sanchez (+600) and third-choice Ian Anderson (+800).

Ke’Bryan Hayes (+400)

Viewed as one of the cornerstones of the Pirates' rebuild, Hayes spent five seasons in the minors after being drafted in the first round in 2015.

He didn’t dazzle at the plate at any level, evidenced by his low OPS (peaked at .819 in Double-A in 2018). So it was a very pleasant surprise when Hayes tore the cover off the ball over 95 plate appearances for Pittsburgh in 2020. He hit .376 with five homers and 11 RBI.

Hayes brings tremendous value to the Pirates with his glove, and he’ll get a chance to flash it on a daily basis in 2021. He’s a deserving favorite in this market.

Sixto Sanchez (+600)

Acquired by the Miami Marlins as part of the J.T. Realmuto trade, Sanchez jumped straight up from Double-A to the big leagues in 2020 (due in part to the pandemic canceling all minor league games) and acquitted himself quite nicely.

The Dominican native recorded a quality start in four of his first five outings for the Marlins. He even delivered five innings of shutout baseball against the Chicago Cubs in an upset Wild Card round victory.

But problems arose when teams faced Sanchez a second time in 2020. Taking on the Washington Nationals for the second time in 2020, he allowed five earned runs over four innings.

The Atlanta Braves drove in four runs against Sanchez in only three innings in their second go-around with him in what would be his final regular season start. The Braves roughed him up again (also four runs over three innings) in the postseason.

It will be interesting to see if Sanchez can adjust in 2021 after being “figured out” late last year.

Ian Anderson (+800)

Selected third overall by the Braves in 2016, Anderson spent four years in the minors before getting promoted late last season.

He turned heads almost immediately as he went 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA and a 1.082 WHIP. Anderson was even more impressive in the playoffs, where he allowed just two earned runs over 18 2/3 innings.

He looks like a solid wager for NL Rookie of the Year.