There was perhaps no one happier about Adolis García’s walk-off home run in Game 1 than Rangers backup catcher Austin Hedges.
His elation was obvious. As the rest of his Texas teammates processed what they were seeing from the dugout, Hedges was already sprinting, yelling, arms extended in abundant, cathartic joy.
His jubilation was fitting for two reasons. First, Hedges is the vibes architect of the Rangers’ clubhouse, always the first to celebrate a teammate or try to raise the energy. And second, Hedges had been in the on-deck circle, about to hit. He’d gotten his first plate appearance of the entire postseason just a few innings prior. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy had lifted starting catcher Jonah Heim for a pinch runner in the eighth when the team was still trailing by two runs; Bochy had not then anticipated extra innings with potential at-bats for Hedges. It doesn’t take much sleuthing to figure out why: Hedges is a lifetime .189 hitter. Which meant he was celebrating García’s home run not only because it meant a Rangers victory but also because it meant he did not have to go to the plate again.
All @Rangers fans when the ball landed in the bottom in the 11th 😆#GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/xqzSVManKK
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 28, 2023
It’s hard to ask for a better encapsulation of the mainstream read on Hedges. The 31-year-old backup catcher is a guy you should want leading every celebration and one you would rather not see in the batter’s box. But if you ask his teammates, it’s clear that his role on the team is both more varied and more important than you might realize.
“I know he’s getting a lot of notoriety right now for being a cheerleader,” Rangers outfielder Travis Jankowsk said. “But that’s the lowest level of what he does for us … It’s a huge part of Austin as a player, yes, but it’s not close to all that he brings to a team.”
Hedges has a reputation as an incredible defensive backstop, one of the most talented in the game, skilled at every aspect of the position. This is why the Rangers acquired him in a trade with the Pirates at the deadline. They already had a starting catcher in Heim and a capable back-up in Mitch Garver. (The latter now generally serves as designated hitter.) But the Rangers still wanted to add Hedges’s skillset to the group.
Perhaps the best way to grasp his defensive prowess is to consider his lackluster offensive statistics. There have been just 16 players in baseball history to get 2,000 plate appearances despite an OPS+ of 55 or below. (That figure essentially indicates someone just barely half as productive as the average major league hitter.) Hedges is the only active player in that tiny group. And you have to be a fantastic defensive catcher to earn 2,000 plate appearances as a 55 OPS+ hitter.
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“He’s got a great baseball mind,” Rangers veteran starter Max Scherzer said. “He really understands the game because of how he prepares … He has really good perspective.”
Those three innings at the end of Game 1 represented Hedges’s only playing time in the Rangers’ 15 playoff games. But pitchers say his presence is key. He catches bullpen sessions. He offers scouting reports. He gives feedback on the shape of specific pitches. He works extensively with Heim.
“We always have those conversations about how we should attack guys,” Heim says. “He’s the best catcher in baseball. He always has help or feedback on what he sees.”
Heim notes that Hedges plays a vital role in their daily hitters’ meetings, too: He leads off each session with a skit.
“Nothing I can really say without getting anyone in trouble,” Heim grins when asked for details about Hedges’s acting talent. “But it’s always funny. He loves to fire the boys up.”
Teammates say that one of Hedges’s skills is knowing just what each teammate needs from him. Sometimes that’s mechanical advice, or a pep talk, or a listening ear. And sometimes it’s a good-natured putdown.
“We go at each other all the time,” Scherzer said. “It’s good to have another guy who loves to talk some trash.”
Hedges may not be seen on the field for the rest of the World Series. But his teammates know how crucial he will be in the clubhouse and the dugout.
“He cares about each and every pitcher as if they’re his brother,” said Jankowski, who was Hedges’s teammate for years with the Padres before both ended up with the Rangers. “Every team, in my opinion, needs a guy like that who doesn’t get a ton of playing time but is so vital … He’s just a true guy who cares about his teammates and wants the best for each and every person in this clubhouse.”
