Austin Hedges

Getting production from the catchers continues to be a thing.

Patrick Bailey's [chuckles] been one of their better hitters for quite some time now, and both he and Austin Hedges hovering around league average sticks just overall in, in their turn, uh, time in Cleveland.

Bailey, of course, prior to that in San Francisco didn't go too terrible, or too terribly well.

Would you, would you read a story on, like, Hedges' offensive turnaround?

If I feel like I execute it, I feel like I have a good chance against anybody.

And is that something that obviously Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges would know that going in? How important is it, though, that you guys are on the same page if it's a night where maybe your other pitches are pretty good or maybe they're not and you have to rely on it?

Yeah, I mean, I put my full trust into Pat and Hedgie back there catching.

Pretty much what they call, unless I'm really feeling a certain pitch, I never shake off.

So now the Overton window has shrunk, and accordingly, we're not gonna see catchers be able to provide ridiculous value in that way unless you're a top of the, you know, food chain, top of the totem pole type catcher.

Think Patrick Bailey and, and Austin Hedges and guys of that ilk.

But there won't be more guys like that spawned in the minor leagues.

I'm, I'm fairly confident in saying the future of the position, Aurum, the one that you're going to evaluate in the coming years and eventually when you're running an org is a lot different than it looks right now.

Bailey's been swinging such a hot bat lately that you have to have him back there.

But what's the difference if you put Austin Hedges out there and he can get you maybe a little deeper into a game? I want to be careful here, and I want to preface all of this next segment with what this is and what this isn't us saying, because we know that Jose Ramirez is still the most important player in that clubhouse, on that roster.

He is the heart and soul of the team, the engine that makes everything go.

But that's with the caveat that it's when he's healthy that and he's at his best and he's most effective.

Yeah.

He, I mean, I, I do wanna let everyone know, I've, he's not gonna listen to me, but I've instructed Patrick to write about Austin Hedges, the batter.

You have several times, yeah.

Well, it's too late.

[laughs] Austin Hedges, since the beginning of August, is hitting 184, 286, 245.

I don't, uh, he's got a, almost a league average OPS still, Patrick.

[laughs]

And somehow, and it stuns me to say this, but, like, Cleveland doesn't have three auto outs like that.

Do you know what other backup catcher options there are across the league? Could you imagine if the Brewers had half of the backup catchers that are across baseball? We'd be talking about the backup catcher.

Every caller would be calling in about Austin Hedges or whoever the heck the Brewers would have back there.

It's ridiculous.

Gary's been fine.

Another win over the weekend against Kansas City.

Austin Hedges has been your catcher every step of the way.

What has he done for you this season that's allowed you to reach some really good heights?

Yeah, he's been the man.