Pirates A to Z: Austin Hedges adds elite defense, hopes to mentor catching prospects

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Bryse Wilson.

Player: Austin Hedges

Position: Catcher

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Age: 30 (Aug. 18)

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 223 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Slashed .163/.241/.248 with four doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 105 games for Cleveland

Contract: One year, $5 million

Acquired: Signed as a free agent

This past season: When Roberto Perez signed a one-year, $5 million free-agent deal with the Pirates, Cleveland turned to Hedges as its starting catcher.

Hedges had earned respect for his defense, pitch calling, framing and blocking and his handling of young hurlers Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill the previous season, when he led the American League with 12 defensive runs saved and the Guardians went 48-37 in his starts.

BREAKING: Austin Hedges has signed a 1 Year 5 Million dollar deal with the #Pirates. Old #Padres Alert. pic.twitter.com/OSRsLZAiZf

— Famed Friar (@Famedfriar) December 18, 2022

If defense was his calling card, Hedges’ offense left a lot to be desired. While Hedges batted .178, he hit 10 home runs and drove in 31 runs in 2021. His batting average dipped to .163 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 105 games last season.

The power numbers were nothing new for Hedges, who hit 18 homers with 55 RBIs in 2017, 14 homers in 2018 and 11 in 2019 for the San Diego Padres before being swapped in a nine-player trade. But his 54 weighted runs created plus, which takes into account external factors such as ballparks, since his major league debut in 2015 is the lowest of any player with a minimum of 2,000 plate appearances.

Hedges suffered concussions in each of the past two seasons, which he believes affected his performance at the plate. He went on the concussion injured list in June 2021 and again in late June last season.

“Hitting has not been as easy as catching has been for me,” Hedges said. “On the hitting side, I’ve had a couple years of some things happened physically where I haven’t been as close to 100% as I would like to be. But my body is in a great spot right now. I feel healthy. I like where my swing’s at.

“I always remember that I’ve done it before. I’ve hit 18 homers. I’ve hit 14 homers. I’ve had good numbers in the minor leagues as well. I know it’s in there. I’ve done it before. With a fresh start here, I feel like there’s no reason why I can’t contribute on both sides of the ball.”

We didn't talk about this enough when it happened.

Remember when Austin Hedges did this on a 3-2 count? pic.twitter.com/mQKu9svcFm

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 18, 2021

Hedges split time behind the plate with Luke Maile, a former Pirates catcher who started 55 games last season. Where Hedges didn’t hit much, he could be counted on to bunt and hit sacrifice flies as the Guardians made a playoff push last season.

Hedges became popular for taking off his shirt during clubhouse celebrations as Cleveland – the youngest team in the majors last season – clinched a playoff berth and stunned Tampa Bay in the AL wild card.

“If not wearing a shirt means winning the World Series and continuing to have champagne parties,” Hedges told reporters, “I’ll never wear a shirt again.”

With top prospects Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis in the upper levels of the minors, Austin Hedges embraces the idea of mentoring as part of his role as Pirates catcher. pic.twitter.com/w3WCzVU9Tm

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) December 20, 2022

The future: When Perez required season-ending surgery for a torn left hamstring after playing only 21 games last season, catcher became a major problem for the Pirates. They used eight different players behind the plate, including utility infielder Josh VanMeter.

Hedges became a free agent after the season, and Cleveland signed Mike Zunino to a one-year, $6 million contract. The Pirates zeroed in on Hedges primarily because of his defense and experience with helping a young pitching staff.

Hedges has the fourth-most runs saved (41) since Baseball Savant started tracking the statistic in 2015. He has 75 career DRS and a career dWAR of 6.0, the highest of any Pirates player. He also has thrown out 31% (102 of 238) of baserunners attempting to steal against him.

“We are excited to add Austin to our group,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. “He’s been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball for years and has earned a terrific reputation for his positive impact on pitchers.”

New Pirates catcher Austin Hedges leads all catchers in Defensive Runs Saved since the start of the 2017 season.

Austin Hedges 71
Roberto Pérez 57
Manny Piña 38

Much of that is in pitch framing, which we previously talked to him abouthttps://t.co/CZLnBBJKEI pic.twitter.com/cLCNL7PS4T

— SIS_Baseball (@sis_baseball) December 21, 2022

Hedges sees similarities between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and hopes to help the Pirates improve after back-to-back 100-loss seasons. The Pirates have a young starting rotation that added Roansy Contreras, Johan Oviedo and Luis Ortiz late in the season.

“Coming from Cleveland last year with a young team that had dozens of guys making their debuts, especially on the pitching staff, definitely gave me a little bit of a head start into what I think we’re trying to do here in Pittsburgh,” Hedges said. “I think what Cleveland was able to do last year with a young staff and still be able to get to the playoffs, I see no reason why Pittsburgh can’t be that club this year.”

Hedges is embracing a new opportunity, knowing that it might be his last chance to stay in a starting role. He is taking a crash course in learning the Pirates’ pitching staff’s strengths and weaknesses, so he knows which pitches to call and, as important, what to avoid.

In a career that has involved its share of trial-and-error, Hedges hopes to become a mentor to not only the young pitchers but also his heir apparents. The Pirates have a pair of highly regarded catching prospects in minor league player of the year Endy Rodriguez, who is expected to start the season at Triple-A Indianaplis, and 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Henry Davis, who is slated to start at Double-A Altoona.

They are counting on Hedges to serve as the bridge to their future catchers, and it’s a role he’s embracing.

“Catching is my passion, so teaching it is one of my favorite things,” Hedges said. “Young guys who are trying to make it in the big leagues, that’s something that I look forward to doing for the rest of my life – helping out those young guys and teaching them the things that I learned the hard way through failure and experience.

“There are certain things you can say and teach that, like I said with the rest of the team, if they can know that failing at this isn’t the worst thing in the world or how to have a little bit better of a mindset, it can speed that process up at the beginning of their careers, which tends to be pretty bumpy just because you have so much expectations on yourself or fears of fitting in with your teammates or money, fame, all these things that happen once you make the big leagues that are not realities in the minor leagues.

“If I can kind of help them be who they are and stay who they are from the get go, I’m really looking forward to that being part of my job.”