The Pittsburgh Pirates today signed catcher Austin Hedges to a one-year contract for the 2023 season.
Hedges is regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in the league since making his MLB debut in 2015. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, Hedges leads all backstops in MLB with 75 Defensive Runs Saved according to the Fielding Bible. According to Baseball Savant, Hedges has also saved the fourth-most runs (41) in pitch framing since the stat began being tracked in 2015.
“We are excited to add Austin to our group,” said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. “He’s been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball for years and has earned a terrific reputation for his positive impact on pitchers.”
Hedges ranked sixth in the American League in innings caught (839.2) last season while his 3.37 catcher’s ERA ranked seventh in all of MLB among qualified backstops according to Stats LLC. He saved 4.4 runs in 2022 via pitch framing for Cleveland, which ranked 18th among all catchers in MLB according to FanGraphs while also being charged with just one passed ball for the entire season.
Hedges has also thrown out 31 percent (102-for-238) of the runners attempting to steal against him in his career with San Diego (2015-20) and Cleveland (2020-22).
A corresponding 40-man roster move will be forthcoming.
