Austin Hedges Bio
Austin Charles Hedges is an American professional baseball catcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers, with whom he won the World Series in 2023. A defense-first backstop, Hedges has built a long MLB career on premium pitch-framing, strong pop times behind the plate, and steady leadership for pitching staffs across four organizations.
Early Life and Background
Austin Charles Hedges was born on August 18, 1992, in San Juan Capistrano, California, to Charlie and Pam Hedges. He grew up as an only child, and with his parents working after he came home from school, he spent long stretches of his childhood throwing a lacrosse ball against a wall and catching it bare-handed, a habit that helped sharpen his hands for catching.
Hedges played Little League Baseball for the OC Aztecs, a team coached by his father. The Aztecs became a remarkable talent pipeline, eventually producing six Major League Baseball players, including Matt Chapman, Zach Davies, David Fletcher, Joe Musgrove, Michael Lorenzen, and Bryce Harper, alongside Hedges himself. He attended JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, where he continued to develop as a catcher and a prospect.
Path to Baseball
Hedges committed to UCLA, but the San Diego Padres selected him in the second round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft and signed him for $3 million. Going into the 2012 season, Baseball America ranked him as the Padres’ fifth-best prospect, and he opened his professional career with the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League, where he hit .279 with 10 home runs in 96 games and drew praise from scouts for standout defense and surprising offensive production at Class-A.
In 2013, MLB.com ranked Hedges the fourth-best catching prospect in the minors. He split that year between the Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm and the Double-A San Antonio Missions, and he was also named to the All-Star Futures Game. The following season, he spent the year with San Antonio, hit six home runs over 113 games, and threw out 38 percent of opposing base runners, cementing his reputation as a defense-first catching prospect on the rise.
Austin Hedges Career
Early Career (2015)
After beginning 2015 with the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, the Padres promoted Hedges to the major leagues on May 4, bringing him up as a back-up to Derek Norris. On May 6, he notched his first Major League hit, an RBI single in the third inning against the San Francisco Giants. He finished his rookie season with 137 plate appearances and a .168 batting average, then played for the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League in the offseason.
San Diego Padres Era (2015–2020)
In 2016, Hedges opened the year back in El Paso after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand in April. After returning from surgery, he erupted for a 30-game stretch in which he hit 14 home runs at a .395 clip, finishing the Triple-A season with 21 home runs and a .326/.353/.597 batting line before rejoining the Padres for eight games in late September.
Hedges became the Padres’ primary catcher in 2017, catching 115 games and producing 18 home runs with a .214/.262/.398 batting line. His defense was elite: a 37 percent caught-stealing rate and 26.7 fielding runs above average led all catchers, and he ranked second in framing runs, according to Baseball Prospectus. He remained the everyday backstop through 2018 and 2019, leaning on his glove while his bat fluctuated, and in 2019 he topped the MLB Statcast leaderboard with 20 runs created with extra strike calls.
Cleveland Indians / Guardians First Stint (2020–2022)
On August 31, 2020, the Padres traded Hedges, along with Josh Naylor, Cal Quantrill, and minor leaguers Gabriel Arias, Owen Miller, and Joey Cantillo, to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and Matt Waldron. His 2020 sample in Cleveland was limited to six games, in which he batted .083 with no home runs and no runs batted in. After the 2022 season, Hedges became a free agent.
Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers (2023)
Hedges signed a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 20, 2022. On August 1, 2023, he was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for international bonus pool money. He did not appear in the postseason until Game 1 of the 2023 World Series, in which he struck out against Paul Sewald in his only at-bat to send the game into extra innings, and the Rangers went on to win the World Series in five games.
Cleveland Guardians Era (2024–Present)
On December 15, 2023, Hedges signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Guardians and appeared in 66 games during the 2024 season, batting .152/.203/.220 with two home runs, 15 RBI, and two stolen bases. He re-signed with the Guardians on November 6, 2024, on another one-year major league contract, and in 2025 he played 68 contests, slashing .161/.250/.277 with five home runs, 10 RBI, and one stolen base. On October 15, 2025, he signed yet another one-year deal with Cleveland to remain in his second stint with the club.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hedges has long been regarded as a defense-first catcher, earning top marks for pitch framing, blocking, and controlling the running game, and his career-high 26.7 fielding runs above average in 2017 underscored how much value he provides behind the plate. He pairs that glove work with steady game-calling and a respected presence in the clubhouse, even as his bat has trended below the league average in recent seasons.
Notable Events and Milestones
The signature moment of Hedges’ career came in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series, when he entered as a late-game substitute and drew a critical at-bat against Paul Sewald before the Rangers walked it off in extra innings on the way to a five-game title. Earlier milestones include his first MLB hit on May 6, 2015, against the San Francisco Giants, his selection to the 2013 All-Star Futures Game, and his back-to-back Top 100 prospect rankings from Baseball America and MLB.com.
Austin Hedges Career Wins
As a catcher, Hedges’ statistical wins are measured less in batting crowns and more in championship hardware and defensive impact. He is a World Series champion with the 2023 Texas Rangers, and he owns one of the most celebrated defensive résumés among catchers of his generation, including a 2017 season in which he led all MLB catchers in fielding runs above average.
World Series and Postseason Highlights
Hedges’ defining postseason memory is Game 1 of the 2023 World Series, when he was pressed into duty for the Rangers and struck out against Paul Sewald to extend the game into extra innings. Texas went on to win that contest and the series in five games, giving Hedges his only championship ring.
Austin Hedges Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Hedges is the son of Charlie and Pam Hedges, and his father coached his Little League team, the OC Aztecs, a program that produced an unusual concentration of future MLB players. That early mentorship under Charlie helped shape Hedges’ defensive foundation and his love for the catching craft.
Personal Life
Hedges and his ex-wife, Maggie, were married in 2019 and divorced in 2023. He began dating Lexi in November 2024, and the couple became engaged in April 2026. During the offseason, Hedges resides in San Diego, California.
2025 Season Performance
Hedges returned to the Guardians on a one-year deal signed in November 2024 and served as a veteran catching presence alongside the younger backstops on Cleveland’s roster. In 68 games during the 2025 campaign, he slashed .161/.250/.277 with five home runs, 10 RBI, and one stolen base, supplying steady defense and pitch-framing value while contributing occasional pop in limited at-bats.
His role within the Guardians organization centered on mentorship, handling the pitching staff, and spot starts against favorable matchups, rather than everyday catching duties. With the club continuing to develop its next generation of catchers, Hedges remained a trusted bridge figure between the present staff and the organization’s long-term plans.
