Pirates' Austin Hedges says building trust with pitchers can keep catchers in the lineup

Austin Hedges learned a long time ago that a catcher’s best friend is often the pitcher he’s entrusted to shepherd through a game.

The relationship works both ways, of course, but for Hedges learning to build trust with the pitchers is one way to enter the starting lineup.

“Some of the best advice I had when I was a kid was if you want to catch on your team, the pitcher’s going to want to throw to you,” he said Monday before backstopping Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Luis Ortiz through his first big-league victory, 6-4 against the Texas Rangers at PNC Park.

“I take a lot of pride in that. That relationship is big. It’s big for the trust of the pitcher to have confidence to go out there and be their best.”

How does he earn that trust?

“You show them how much you care about them as a person,” he said. “That’s their career out there. They’re trying to make a lot of money. That’s their job. If they know I’m back there with the intent of getting them paid, having them get as much success as possible and winning the ball game for the team, they know I have their back. When they know that, they go out and pitch better.”

Hedges won’t take credit for how well Ortiz pitched. He noted that Ortiz used his four-seam and two-seam fastballs, mixing them with a changeup and slider to keep the best-hitting team in baseball (.271) from taking over the game.

The start turned out to be the best among Ortiz’s three this season — 7 2/3 innings, two runs, five hits, four strikeouts, two walks — and the only one of the seven in his career with Hedges behind the plate.

Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who fielded six groundballs that originated out of Ortiz’s hand, noticed the contributions Hedges made for his pitchers.

“Hedgey’s been great,” Hayes said. “From the preparation side, he’s really good with that because he’s been in the league and knows a lot of hitters. I think our pitchers trust him because he’s been there, done that.

“He’s a really good catcher, a really good personality for us in this clubhouse. I don’t know what it was (Monday). It felt like Luis had more conviction with his heater. I like when he’s throwing a lot of heaters because it’s 98 (mph) and moving all over the place.”

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The manager, the man who writes out the lineup, noticed, too.

“(Hedges) was outstanding,” Derek Shelton said. “Running through the game plan with (Ortiz), he stayed in attack mode.

“Anybody with Hedgey, we have complete faith. Just being able to guide him through a lineup, a veteran (Rangers) lineup, we thought would be a good matchup.”

Ortiz said the crucial pregame meeting was the key.

“We met before the game to go over the game plan,” he said through translator Stephen Morales. “That was key for the success.”

Shelton, pitching coach Oscar Marin and their pitchers like the experience and knowledge Hedges brings to the game. Monday was his 600th game squatting behind home plate in the majors, a total that rises to 1,019 if you count the minors, winter and fall ball.

That’s a stat the Pirates don’t take lightly. It’s also why Hedges, 30, has caught more than half the games this season (26 starts) for the Pirates (25-22) while batting .158 in his first season in Pittsburgh.

“You want to talk about as much as you can (pregame),” Hedges said. “But the biggest conversations are in the middle of the game between innings. You talk about whatever’s working, what’s not working, how you want to attack certain guys the second or third time through the lineup.”

He likes to keep mound visits to a minimum.

“If you’re having to do too many mound visits in the middle of the inning, you’re probably not communicating as well as you can before or during the game,” he said.

He said pitchers shaking him off never bothers him.

“That’s fine,” he said. “That’s their career. I want them to be able to throw all their pitches with conviction. If they’re convicted on throwing a certain pitch, I want them to be able to throw that pitch.

“I’ve watched plenty of video before the season to get to know these guys. But all the information I need is during the game and what I’ve experienced with them so far this year. At this point, I feel Jason (Delay) and myself know our pitchers really well.”

This is Hedges’ ninth major-league season, but the past offseason was his first as a free agent. He was pleased that the Pirates showed interest, partially because his mother, who lives in California, used to live in Upper St. Clair.

He knew the Pirates have high hopes for minor-league catchers Endy Rodriguez and 2021 first-round draft choice Henry Davis. But he said that didn’t deter him from considering the Pirates.

“For me, it was for my career,” he said. “Once I’m here and I was in spring training and got to meet Henry, it was great to meet him. He’s a great kid. The sky’s the limit for his career.

“It was fun to be able to work with him a little bit in spring training. I’m excited to see him in the big leagues soon.”