Pirates by Position: Counting on Austin Hedges at catcher until prospects are promoted

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, the conundrum at catcher last season couldn’t be captured by one name, as they used eight players at the position.

One game, however, told the tale.

When backup Andrew Knapp was ejected from the dugout for arguing a call and starter Roberto Perez suffered a torn left hamstring in the first game of a doubleheader May 7 at Cincinnati, the Pirates turned to a player, Josh VanMeter, who had never been behind the plate in the major leagues in an emergency for an ill-fated inning.

That Jason Delay — who was demoted to bullpen catcher at Triple-A Indianapolis — ended up leading the team in starts showed what a problem the position had become for the Pirates. With top-100 prospects Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis not quite ready for the majors, general manager Ben Cherington prioritized finding a starter through free agency and signed Austin Hedges to a one-year, $5 million contract.

The Pirates are hoping to get more out of Hedges than they did Perez, who played only 21 games before undergoing season-ending surgery. They stressed the importance of defense with Hedges, who had eight defensive runs saved in 105 games for Cleveland last season and has 75 career DRS.

“Being able to add Hedges, who has a really strong reputation, not only as a receiver but as a game caller and the ability to bring that knowledge — he caught a really good staff in Cleveland over the last few years — was something that we identified,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He has dove head first into it, which is really important for us because it kind of gives us a jump start going into spring training.”

What.
A.
Play.

You’ve got to be kidding, Austin Hedges. pic.twitter.com/27rQZTcELO

— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2018

Where Hedges doesn’t have the hardware of his predecessors — Perez won two AL Gold Gloves with Cleveland, and Jacob Stallings won the NL Gold Glove with the Pirates in 2021 — he does have an excellent reputation for his defense and handling of a pitching staff. Those are areas where Perez also drew high praise, and the Pirates hope it will help offset his offensive inefficiencies.

“We certainly believe that’s a legitimate skill that he has, to impact the game defensively with receiving, throwing, blocking, etc.,” Cherington said. “Beyond that, there are some aspects of the defensive game that we still just aren’t very good at measuring yet: game-calling, relationship-building, influence. And certainly that would extend to impact potentially on pitchers, but also other catchers.”

Hedges embraced that role, knowing that one of his job requirements will be tutoring Rodriguez and Davis on the finer points of the game, starting in spring training and continuing when at least one of them makes a mid-summer debut. Cherington said the Pirates are looking forward to Hedges “bringing that energy into the room.”

During the Winter Meetings, Cherington said the Pirates plan to have both start the season in the minor leagues. Rodriguez, their minor league player of the year, is expected to begin at Indianapolis. Davis, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, should return to Double-A Altoona. Until they arrive, Hedges will be counted on to help Delay (49 starts) and Tyler Heineman (44 starts) as they battle for the backup role. Both will attend spring training as nonroster invitees.

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

“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, 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.”

Austin Hedges with no fear. ????

(MLB x @CueHealth) pic.twitter.com/OzZGCdbfPl

— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2022

That brings us to the other part of his job. The Pirates need more offensive production from the position, and Hedges is coming off a career-worst .163 batting average with four doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBIs. Hedges has flashed power in the past, with four seasons of 10 or more homers and a career-best 18 homers and 55 RBIs with San Diego in 2017, and spent time studying his swing at Driveline and TPI this offseason in an effort to rediscover his stroke.

“Absolutely. I’ve done it before. Hitting has not been as easy as catching has been for me,” Hedges said in December. “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

If Hedges can stay healthy and play 100 or more games for the fourth time in his career, the Pirates will have upgraded the catching position. If he can provide offense, that’s an even bigger bonus. Given how the Pirates played behind the plate last season, expectations are low.

“There’s no hiding that we really appreciate the defense or valuing that. He’s been elite at that part of the game, so that was certainly a major factor,” Cherington said. “We think he can produce more offense. He thinks he can. He has some raw power. He’s had years where he’s been productive. … It’s a new environment, new people, fresh start. We’re hopeful he can be certainly a professional at-bat in the lineup. He’s got power. He can run into a ball. We certainly expect that the biggest part of the value is going to be on the defensive side.”