It's just a shame that the timing on everything is so bad. All three of Hayes, Suwinski, and Davis have had terrible offensive seasons, and I don't think it's too much of a homer statement to say that they are capable of way better. Whether or not we'll ever see it again, I have no idea, but even having one of those guys playing close to what they have shown offensively would be incredible right now.
For what it's worth, my take on Hayes is that the singles only offensive version of him would be completely palatable on a team fielding a real roster with a real payroll. It's magnified because of the fact that the Pirates have no margins for error with their roster construction. I think the more significant issue with him is that he's proving to be consistently injury-plagued. I am pretty certain that he is currently injured, which is something impacting the offense, but if that's a correct guess, at some point that just becomes the biggest problem and not some kind of excuse. Maybe having IKF and even Gonzo in the fold next year could help to get him off his feet and alleviate nagging injuries that way or something. I dunno, it's a bad situation.
Last thing: I was going to mention this in my recap, but I think having a hitter explode as we look towards the stretch run is something that needs to happen. Maybe it will be IKF or BDLC, but Davis has also settled into a much better place at the plate, judging by the statline. I think Indy could be on the path to make the playoffs, but I still wouldn't count out the possibility of Davis playing his way into being the extra position player that's brought up when rosters expand. It's not the best roster fit in the world, but if he sustains a better K-rate and is hitting the ball hard for another month, I'd roll the dice on a late season redemption run. At the end of the day, I confess that I still believe in the bat.
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