SAN DIEGO — This is not designed to be a defense of Austin Hedges.
Among MLB players with at least 100 plate appearances this season, only five have a worse OPS than the Pirates catcher (.465). Per Baseball Reference’s calculation of wins above replacement, Hedges (minus-1.0) ranks last on the team.
It’s similarly not an argument that Hedges should be playing more, or that the Pirates were justified in playing him as much as they have. With Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis here, they’re the priority and should’ve been long ago.
The point is this: The Pirates are the ones who could have handled this situation better, and Hedges doesn’t deserve to bear the brunt of it. In fact, he could easily find himself on another team come Tuesday with the arrival of the MLB trade deadline.
“I definitely think about it,” Hedges said when asked about the possibility that he could be moved. “At the same time, it’s a business decision. Whichever organization I’m in, I’m gonna be there trying to help that team win ball games.”
It might sound crazy to think that the Pirates could get something for Hedges, but it’s not when you look under the hood with what he’s done this season. It’s also an interesting question relative to the development of Rodriguez and Davis.
More on that shortly. But the truth is that Hedges was probably never a great fit for the Pirates, and the organization erred in how they handled this entire thing, from paying Hedges far too much ($5 million) this offseason to overvaluing pitch-framing and then being stubborn about the whole thing.
Hedges hit .163 with Cleveland last season and hit seven home runs with a .489 OPS. The Pirates essentially said they didn’t care and talked up Hedges’ defense.
There’s nothing wrong with Hedges’ defense — it has actually gotten better when compared to how he fared last season — but one could argue that, on this team, the situation should be flipped; offense should take priority, and they’ll live with the defense.
In other words, use Rodriguez and/or Davis, or even an offensive-minded stopgap who came cheap while allowing the Pirates to spend the leftover money somewhere else.
But let’s actually leave that topic — the Pirates failing to address a need and instead blocking their two best prospects — and examine this from Hedges’ perspective for a second. The guy has basically been the same player he’s always been, and here fans think he’s dragging down the whole offensive operation.
Has anything changed for the better since Hedges was benched?
Hedges hit .171 from 2019-22, and he’s batting .181 this season. There’s been a dip in power, but we’re also splitting hairs. It’s not Hedges’ fault the Pirates offered him too much money or kept playing him when they should’ve turned over playing time to the future. You’d do the same thing in his situation.
The unfortunate part for Hedges is that he has been labeled a terrible defensive player by part of the fan base, and that’s simply not true. On Baseball Savant, there’s a newer stat called Fielding Run Value. It’s essentially an amalgamation of various position-specific metrics, expressed as one number.
Hedges leads all of MLB at 11. When it comes to FanGraphs’ defensive runs saved, only two have been better. One has topped him with that site’s calculation of fielding runs above average. If that was Ke’Bryan Hayes or someone else, fans would be clamoring for a Gold Glove. With Hedges, they want him designated for assignment.
In other words, Hedges doesn’t stink. But his offensive limitations and the fact that he was blocking the organization’s top two prospects made him an unnatural fit, at least until Rodriguez was promoted on July 17. It’s the right move, and it should have happened sooner.
Meanwhile, instead of pouting or ignoring the young guys, Hedges has embraced them.
“He’s the best,” Rodriguez said of Hedges. “We talk a lot. He has helped me a lot making a good plan for the game. He has a lot of experience.”
Added Davis: “When I’m catching bullpens, he takes time out of his day to sit and talk through what I’m thinking and doing, what he thinks I can do better and where a pitcher might like to use certain sequences. He’s helped me a lot with everything.”
That brings us to the final chapter of the Hedges saga, or what could theoretically be the end of it in Pittsburgh. If there’s a taker, the smart business move for the Pirates would be to trade Hedges and get what they can for him, the same for Carlos Santana, Rich Hill, Ji-Man Choi and Connor Joe.
It’s about the kids now, which Hedges certainly grasps. He was talking to Rodriguez about receiving in certain situations after Wednesday’s game. When reporters entered the clubhouse on Monday, Davis was saddled up next to Hedges and Andrew McCutchen, the three of them chatting quietly.
For as frustrated as fans have gotten with Hedges, he has remained a consummate pro.
“My role with playing time has changed, but everything I do on a daily basis stays the same,” Hedges said. “That leadership role, guiding guys like Endy and Henry, no matter how I’m playing or how much I’m playing, that’s a big priority of mine. It’s been fun. They respond so well. They’re really bright kids.”
They’re also young players who will be better for having been around Hedges, no matter how poorly he hits or the fact that his days in the organization could be numbered. Another team with a better offense might be able to hide Hedges’ bat the way the Pirates could not.
“I love it,” Hedges continued. “I’ve been lucky enough to play this game for a long enough time that I feel like I have a lot of hard experiences that I’ve been able to learn from. It’s fun for me to try to put things into perspective for these guys, so they can get through the tough times in this league.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: July 27, 2023, 1:11 p.m.
