Reds' Austin Hays is red hot as recent stats try to propel Cincinnati toward NL Wild Card

Billy Heyen

Reds' Austin Hays is red hot as recent stats try to propel Cincinnati toward NL Wild Card image

Austin Hays is doing his part. 

The Cincinnati Reds find themselves in a heated race for the final NL Wild Card spot. And the veteran outfielder is performing excellently night in and night out to try and give Cincy a shot.

First, the standings. Entering Tuesday night, the Reds are 75-75 and 2.0 games behind the Mets. They're tied with the San Francisco Giants. The Arizona Diamondbacks (76-75) have also entered the mix.

Now, Hays.

In his last 15 games, Hays is batting .291 with a .545 slugging percentage fueled by four home runs.

For the season, Hays is at .266 with 15 doubles, a career-high five triples, and 15 homers. He has drive in 64 runs and stolen all seven bases he has attempted to swipe.

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Hays is tracking for what would be the best OPS he has ever had in a full season, at .777 right now.

It's quite the late-career bloom for a guy who was once a well-regarded Orioles prospect that became a good but not great MLB player in Baltimore.

Hays turned 30 in July, and this is his first year with Cincinnati. It has felt like a great fit.

The Reds have needed the production lately, with Elly De La Cruz in the midst of a crazy slump. 

But guys like Hays, and on Monday night catcher Tyler Stephenson, have found ways to deliver.

To make this final 12-game push into the playoffs will require will take contributions from up and down the roster. Hays, for his part, seems ready.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle