The Cleveland Guardians haven’t made a lot of moves in the offseason.
One of the few was bringing back old friend Austin Hedges.
Hedges can’t hit well at all, but no one can deny he is a magnificent defensive catcher.
Anything related to the science of catching, he does it well: framing pitches, blocking balls in the dirt, communicating with his pitching staff, calling a game, throwing people out on the bases… you name it, and he is good.
That’s why the Guardians decided to bring him back as a backup catcher.
He will play some, yes, but his primary focus will be guiding young apprentice Bo Naylor into becoming a better defensive catcher.
While chatting with Chris Rose, Hedges had some thoughts about his role: he has embraced it.
“I couldn’t be more excited to do that (helping mold Naylor into an All-Star-caliber catcher). It’s your first year or two in the big leagues of starting, you are not supposed to know all the answers,” Hedges said, per Chris Rose Sports.
Austin Hedgers is ready to be a resource for Bo Naylor pic.twitter.com/pdcIUieEf4
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) February 19, 2024
He says that his job as a mentor is “to speed that process up.”
Per Hedges, all eyes will be on Naylor as the starting catcher.
“(They will be looking at) Your body language, how you are going about things, and how you are talking to people. I’ve learned through a lot of failure and some success that how seriously you take that goes a long way, and I think Bo’s the perfect guy to be able to do that and I can’t wait to just help out,” Hedges said.
Naylor was an above-average hitter as a rookie in 2023, but still has some things to iron out as a defensive player.
That’s where Hedges will step in to guide him.
NEXT: Fans React To Curious Comments From Guardians Executive
