Despite boos, Pirates catcher Austin Hedges concentrates on positive play behind the plate

Austin Hedges heard the boos. How could he not? It was a career first for Hedges and stung the 30-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates catcher enough that he paused, pursed his lips and declined to comment about it.

That the boos for Hedges Monday night at PNC Park coincided with the major-league debut of Henry Davis wasn’t lost on Hedges. Still, Hedges is taking the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft under his wing and teaching the rookie catcher the nuances of the position, even though it could come at his own expense.

“I just show up and try to help the team win,” Hedges said. “It’s not about me. It’s not about Henry, either. It’s about the Pirates. It’s about this organization and this city. That’s what we try to do as an organization. Hopefully, everybody can think of it on those terms.

“It’s not like it’s anything different. Every second of every day in the big leagues is a challenge to not be selfish. It’s not about you but the game tries to make it about you. I know when I play the game about me, I’m miserable. When I’m not happy, I’m not a good teammate. But I know when I’m playing the game for my teammates and my organization, then I’m doing things the right way.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton emphasized that Hedges was signed to a one-year, $5 million contract for his elite defensive skills, not his bat, and believes the focus should be on his pitch calling, framing and receiving instead of his .188 career batting average. And why the Pirates kept both catchers when they promoted Davis, who has played right field and designated hitter in his first three games in the majors.

“When we signed Hedgey, we were very clear what we were looking for,” Shelton said. “If you pull up any statistic and look where our catchers rank in terms of framing metrics, catching metrics — all the metrics — we’re one or two. We outlined right away we were going to get defense at that position, and it was really important to us. And he’s fulfilled that. I do think that’s unfortunate what happened (with the boos) but what we’ve asked Hedgey to do, he’s done an unbelievable job.”

Based on advanced metrics, Hedges is regarded as not only the best catcher in baseball but its best overall defender. His 10.2 defensive runs prevented, per Baseball Prospectus, ranks ahead of right fielders Adolis Garcia and Ronald Acuna Jr. and shortstop Wander Franco.

That’s why the boos bothered Pirates pitcher Rich Hill, a 43-year-old left-hander in his 19th season. Hill sees the level of preparation Hedges puts into his starts, his penchant for punctuality in pre-game meetings, knowledge of hitters’ weaknesses in calling pitches and how to steal strikes with framing can make him a pitcher’s best friend.

“That was disappointing to hear because he is the anchor of the pitching staff,” Hill said. “His understanding of how to manage a pitching staff, how to go about leading guys through a lineup the correct way is indispensable. I don’t know how to describe it. We can sit here and talk about everyone’s shortcomings, but it’s got to be more represented that his value and what he brings behind the plate is incredible.

“I understand that doesn’t show up on the scoreboard. That he’s been one of the best catchers in baseball defensively, behind the plate, is something that has made him a really, really, really great big leaguer.”

Where Hedges knows he can’t escape his batting numbers — he’s hitting .169 this season — he’s also aware that the average baseball fan pays less attention to the defensive metrics than they do the offensive numbers.

“If you’re watching a game, it’s impossible to see the value of what a catcher can do behind the plate and the impact that goes into making a decision every single pitch, then physically doing the right things every pitch,” Hedges said. “There’s a lot that goes in there. To the naked eye, it’s tough to be able to see.”

Hedges points to one of his worst statistics as an example. He’s been called for catcher’s interference four times this season — more than the rest of his career combined — but ranks in the 96th percentile in pitch framing, per Statcast, with a 52.8% strike rate and eight catcher framing runs. For that alone, Hedges said the reward is worth the risk.

“Oh, 100%,” Hedges said. “I got four catcher’s interferences and lead the league in receiving. It’s not even really a debate for me.”

That’s because, at the urging of Pirates coaches, Hedges and backup Jason Delay have worked since spring training to intentionally set up closer to the plate. It’s only fractions of an inch closer, but Hedges said it helps him create better angle to each side of the plate and allows him to use a strategic approach to his glove preparation. Hedges noted that the timing of pressing from a bent elbow to a full extension of his left arm “is, a lot of times, the difference in balls and strikes.”

“It’s super cool to see how well it’s paying off,” Hedges said of framing pitches to steal strikes from hitters. “Oh, that’s what we are doing. That’s exactly what we’re doing. It’s the best in the league, and the team in second right now isn’t even close to us. We’re killing it back there.”

Where Hedges is getting killed by Pirates fans is with a bat in his hands. He’s 2 for 18 (.111) in his last eight games and 0 for 9 since homering at the Chicago Cubs on June 14. With top prospects in Endy Rodriguez and Davis at Triple-A Indianapolis, Pirates fans lost patience watching Hedges continually pop up or ground out.

“There are plenty of things in this game that are frustrating, but they’re out of my control,” Hedges said. “I go up there when I’m hitting with a plan to go execute. I give it my all. Whether that goes well or not, I’m back there behind the plate making the best decisions I can make to help the team win. That’s really all I care about — wins. Things get blown out of proportion when you’re not winning. If we were not on a losing streak right now, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation. I think wins and losses kind of dictate most of those things.”

Hedges took pride in helping tutor Davis and Rodriguez during spring training and plans to continue doing so while working with Davis behind the scenes now that he’s with the Pirates. Hedges knew the score when he signed with the Pirates, so he embraced the mentor role and believes he can accelerate Davis’ learning process in the majors.

“One of my goals coming into this year was leaving this clubhouse in a better place than I came into it,” Hedges said. “The future is bright at the catching position in this organization. If I can pass on any of the things that I’ve failed at or succeeded at in my career, then that’s only going to help speed that process up.”

That positive personality explains why Hedges is so well regarded by his teammates in the clubhouse and dugout, especially the pitching staff, and why they look beyond his batting average to see his contributions.

“He’s unbelievable,” Hill said of Hedges. “He shows up every day with a great attitude. He shows up ready to work, ready to win. He puts the time and the effort into the game planning, making sure each and every one of us have a proper methodology of going out there and attacking the hitters and understanding what guys need to go to and what they feel comfortable with. From my observation, there’s no doubt. Hearing from guys all around the league, all of it has been true: He’s a great teammate. He’s an unbelievable competitor. And he’s one hell of a catcher.”