The Cleveland Guardians have two rock-solid catchers with different skillsets.
They have the scrappy veteran who knows how to lead the pitching staff, get the best out of every hurler, steal some strikes via framing, throw out would-be base-stealers, and block balls at his position in Austin Hedges.
They also have the young, up-and-coming thumper who can perform like a middle-of-the-order slugger in Bo Naylor.
Unfortunately, Hedges is a lousy hitter (.404 OPS so far in 2024) and Naylor is far from a finished product behind the plate.
That means both men will play.
How much, though?
According to the BIGPLAY Cleveland Show, the next three or four weeks will give us a better idea of how manager Stephen Vogt will play out the situation.
There have been a few clues already, though.
“How will the Guardians split time between Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges? #ForTheLand. ‘We’re gonna get a window into what Stephen Vogt likes to do here, in the first 3-4 weeks of the season,'” they tweeted.
How will the Guardians split time between Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges? #ForTheLand
"We're gonna get a window into what Stephen Vogt likes to do here, in the first 3-4 weeks of the season."
–@JLEWFifty outlines what it could look like ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3zXl1HDysv
— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) April 3, 2024
Guardians analyst Jensen Lewis implies that despite Naylor’s impressive offensive profile, Hedges is going to get his fair share of starts behind the plate.
“We know that Austin is critical to pitch presentation and sequencing. He is a mastermind. He is also great at reading swings and realizing what guys are trying to do in the box. It really is unique to have a guy in Austin that feels like The Matrix. It feels like he is Neo, just seeing code,” he said.
The plan appears to be Hedges being Shane Bieber’s catcher, but as Lewis said, nothing is certain as of right now.
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