The Unlikely Hero: Austin Hedges, Baseball’s Best Backup Catcher
It’s a chilly February morning, and the Cleveland Guardians’ clubhouse is already buzzing with energy. At the center of it all is Austin Hedges, the team’s backup catcher, who is, as usual, shirtless. This sight never fails to amuse his former manager, Terry Francona, who once quipped that Hedges, with his shirt off, looks just like him. Hedges is in his element, talking, teaching, and laughing with his teammates. It’s a scene that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of a man who has become an integral part of every team he’s been on.
Hedges’ infectious energy was on full display during Game 1 of the 2023 World Series. As the Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia hit a walk-off home run, Hedges, who was in the hole at the time, celebrated with such enthusiasm that it inspired an Instagram meme suggesting he was relieved not to have to hit. “It was hilarious … it wasn’t very nice, but it was hilarious,” Hedges admitted. “Look, I wanted that at-bat that night, but we’d just won on a walk-off homer. It was one of the greatest games that I’d ever been a part of.”
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy praised Hedges, saying, “He’s the best. He takes the game seriously. He doesn’t take himself too seriously.” This balance is what makes Hedges, at 32, the best backup catcher in baseball and a key figure in the Guardians’ success. Despite being a lifetime .186 hitter, his leadership and defensive prowess have been crucial in his teams’ postseason appearances, including a 2023 World Series title.
Francona, who managed Hedges for three seasons in Cleveland, now leads the Cincinnati Reds. He fondly recalls Hedges’ impact, saying, “He’s legit in the way he impacts a game and a team. When [Cleveland] had him in 2020 to ’22, we won, then he left, and we didn’t win, that was no coincidence. We missed him badly. And, now they brought him back.”
Current Guardians manager Stephen Vogt couldn’t be happier about Hedges’ return. “He’s also one of the best teammates I’ve ever [been around] in my career,” Vogt said. “Every day, he attacks with energy. He’s 100% Austin every day. And he’s one of the best defensive catchers the last 10 to 15 years.”
Bochy, who misses Hedges, added, “He brought talent, especially the way he handled the pitchers, he was a great complement to [Jonah] Heim [the everyday catcher]. He also did a terrific job in bringing levity to our meetings. He is so good at making everyone else better. He is so self-deprecating. He loves to talk; he really loves to talk.”
Teammate David Fry shared a light-hearted moment, saying, “Man, I try to keep him in check, but I can’t. His energy is amazing, and it’s not fake. People listen when he talks. But, sometimes, I’ve told him, ‘You have to stop talking now.'”
San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman, a childhood friend of Hedges, described him as “the biggest little kid you have ever seen.” Hedges laughed at the comments, acknowledging, “That’s about right,” when called an idiot, and “True,” when referred to as the biggest little kid.
Despite the playful jabs, Hedges is genuinely touched by the compliments. When praised as one of the best defensive catchers in the last 10 to 15 years, he said, “Those are some of the nicest words ever, especially coming from our manager, who was a catcher. That’s what keeps me in the game. If I don’t perform at an elite level, I’m looking for a job.”
Hedges’ journey began in Orange County, California, where he was a star player as a kid, playing alongside future major leaguers like Chapman and San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove. “We never lost a game,” Hedges recalled. “Until I won the World Series a couple of years ago, I would tell my dad, ‘It was like God gave me too many wins when I was a kid, now you’re going to lose in the big leagues.'”
His transition to the big leagues wasn’t easy. “From the minor leagues into probably three years into the big leagues, it was so stressful for me,” Hedges said. “Your whole life, all you want is to make it to pro ball, make it to the big leagues, and once I got there, it was so stressful and so overwhelming to have to actually perform. Money is on the line. If I don’t perform, I’m not going to have this job. So much stress.”
Everything changed when he was traded to Cleveland before the 2020 season. “Getting traded to Cleveland was my fresh start,” Hedges said. “They do such an incredible job there with culture. But you have to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I’m not going to be the guy that hits .300 with 40 homers every year, [a] perennial All-Star.’ I have to find a way to stay in this game. If it’s not going to be offensively, I can do things defensively. I know I have always had an impact on the pitchers.”
Hedges’ relentless positive energy has become his trademark. “The blessing and curse to me was not hitting well,” he said. “If I went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts again, and I still have a smile on my face, then you can, too. It’s not like Hedgy is always happy because he rakes; it’s like Hedgy is the best right now because he hasn’t got a hit in a week and he’s still going to show up for the boys to try to do anything he can to help them perform. That’s what I try to do every day.”
Playing for managers like Bochy, Francona, and now Vogt has been a blessing for Hedges. “Vogter, Tito and Boch, they are three completely different people, but they have one thing in common: a leader of men,” Hedges said. “When they talk, it’s concise. What they say, you might have heard it before. It might not be profound. But people listen to them.”
As Hedges continues to inspire his teammates, he dreams of playing for another 10 years. He’s even considered managing someday, but for now, he wants to teach the game. “I’ve decided I want to be a lifer in baseball, whatever that means,” Hedges said. “I want to put a jersey on. Baseball pants and a jersey in a big league clubhouse. It’s the greatest honor you could ever have. When I’m done playing, if I could [still be in the big leagues], I would feel like the luckiest man alive.”
And so, the luckiest man alive was in the lineup for the Guardians’ first game of spring training. As a DH. Hedges, self-deprecating as always, laughed and said, “Got to keep that bat in the lineup!”
Originally Written by: Tim Kurkjian
