Born and raised in Jamesburg, New Jersey, Hayes was nicknamed "Blimp", even though he was listed at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and 185 lb (84 kg). He first caught the attention of an umpire who then recommended him to Connie Mack, the owner and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.\n', '

Hayes made his major league debut with the Athletics on September 21, 1933, at the age of 18, making him the youngest player in the league at the time. He was hitless in five at bats that season.\n', '

After the Athletics\' regular catcher, Charlie Berry, suffered an injury in 1934, Hayes took his place and set a major league record for most games caught in a season by a teenager when he appeared in 92 games as a nineteen-year-old. In September 1934, Hayes joined a group of American baseball players led by Connie Mack in a barnstorming tour of Japan when Charlie Berry, who had originally been selected to go, was struck with appendicitis. Among the baseball players who joined Hayes in Japan were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Charlie Gehringer. He was sent to the minor leagues in 1935, where he played for the Buffalo Bisons and the Albany Senators of the International League.\n', '

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