Austin Hedges Bio
Austin Charles Hedges, born on August 18, 1992, is an American professional baseball catcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). A defense-first backstop with a reputation for elite pitch framing, Hedges has spent more than a decade in the major leagues after first being drafted out of high school. He previously played for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers, and he is a World Series champion from the 2023 season with the Rangers.
Early Life and Background
Austin Hedges was born on August 18, 1992, in San Juan Capistrano, California, to Charlie and Pam Hedges. As an only child whose parents worked after school, he spent large parts of his childhood throwing a lacrosse ball at a wall and catching it bare-handed, a habit that helped build the strong hands and quick reflexes that later defined his catching style. His father, Charlie, coached his Little League team, the OC Aztecs, which produced six Major League Baseball players. Hedges attended JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, where he emerged as one of the top catching prospects in the country.
The Aztecs program gave Hedges daily contact with future MLB players, and that competitive environment sharpened his approach behind the plate. Coaches and scouts recognized early that his arm strength, footwork, and game-calling instincts were well beyond his age. By the time he finished high school, he was widely viewed as a potential first-round talent and had committed to UCLA before turning professional.
Path to Baseball
Hedges was selected by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft out of JSerra Catholic High School, turning down his commitment to UCLA to sign for a reported $3 million bonus. Entering the 2012 season, Baseball America ranked him as the Padres’ fifth-best prospect. He spent that year with the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League, hitting .279 with 10 home runs in 96 games while drawing praise as a stand-out defender who had surprised evaluators with his offensive production at Class-A.
In 2013, MLB.com ranked Hedges the fourth-best catching prospect in the minors. He opened the year with the Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm, hit .270 with four home runs in 66 games, and earned a midseason promotion to the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He also represented the Padres in the All-Star Futures Game that summer. He returned to San Antonio in 2014, where he threw out 38 percent of opposing base runners across 113 games and finished the year ranked 27th on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list.
Austin Hedges Career
Early Career (2015-2016)
Hedges opened the 2015 season with the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, where he hit .324 with two home runs in 79 at-bats. The Padres promoted him to the major leagues on May 4, 2015, as a back-up to Derek Norris, and he recorded his first Major League hit on May 6 against the San Francisco Giants, an RBI single in the third inning. He finished his first big-league season with a .168 batting average across 137 plate appearances and gained further experience that winter with Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League.
In 2016, Hedges began the year in El Paso after a spring training invite and suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand in April that required surgery. After a six-week recovery, he returned to the Triple-A club and produced a breakout 30-game stretch, hitting 14 home runs with a .395 batting average. He closed the year with a .326/.353/.597 line and 21 home runs across 82 games for the Chihuahuas before joining the Padres for eight games in late September.
San Diego Padres Breakthrough (2017-2019)
Hedges moved into the Padres’ everyday catching role in 2017, catching 115 games while backed up by Luis Torrens and Héctor Sánchez. He battled a mild concussion in late July after taking a foul ball off his mask, and on June 19 he was knocked out of a game following a controversial collision with Anthony Rizzo at the plate. Offensively he finished with an .214/.262/.398 line and 18 home runs in 387 at-bats, but his glove work set him apart. His 37 percent caught-stealing rate and 26.7 fielding runs above average led all MLB catchers, per Baseball Prospectus, while he ranked second in framing runs.
In 2018, Hedges opened the year as the Padres’ primary catcher before right elbow tendinitis sent him to the disabled list in May. He returned in late June and split late-season duty with call-up Francisco Mejía, finishing at .231/.282/.429 with 14 home runs in 303 at-bats. He ranked fifth among MLB catchers in adjusted fielding runs despite playing only 95 games behind the plate. By 2019, his offensive production had slipped to a .176/.252/.311 line with 11 home runs, but his defense remained elite. He threw out 33 percent of base stealers, posted 28.2 fielding runs above average, and topped the MLB Statcast leaderboard in pitch-framing value.
Cleveland Indians Era (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. In his shortened first season with Cleveland he batted .083 with no home runs and zero RBIs in six games. Hedges remained in the organization through the 2022 campaign before becoming a free agent.
Pittsburgh Pirates (2023)
On December 20, 2022, Hedges signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving him a short stint as a veteran backstop and mentor. He was later traded during the 2023 season and moved on to the Texas Rangers.
Texas Rangers Era (2023)
On August 1, 2023, Hedges 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, where he struck out against Paul Sewald in his only at-bat, sending the game into extra innings. The Rangers eventually won that game and went on to defeat their opponents in five games, giving Hedges his first World Series championship.
Cleveland Guardians Era (2024-Present)
On December 15, 2023, Hedges signed a one-year contract to return to the Cleveland Guardians, who had rebranded from the Indians. He became a free agent after the 2024 season and re-signed with the Guardians on November 6, 2024, on another one-year major league contract. On October 15, 2025, Hedges signed yet another one-year deal with Cleveland, extending his tenure with the organization.
Defensive Style and Strengths
Hedges has long been regarded as one of the premier defensive catchers of his generation. His strengths include a strong throwing arm, outstanding blocking, and elite pitch-framing, the latter of which he has ranked at the top of the MLB Statcast leaderboard multiple times. His detailed game preparation and steady presence behind the plate have made him a trusted mentor for young pitching staffs throughout his career.
Notable Events and Milestones
His most celebrated moment came with the Texas Rangers during the 2023 World Series, when he joined the active roster as a veteran reserve and earned a championship ring in five games. Other milestones include his 2017 All-Star-caliber defensive season, his first Major League hit against the San Francisco Giants on May 6, 2015, and his selection to the 2013 All-Star Futures Game.
Austin Hedges Career Wins
Austin Hedges is a World Series champion, having earned his ring with the Texas Rangers in 2023. Across his major-league career he has played in the regular seasons of 2015 and 2017 through 2024, with stops in San Diego, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Texas.
Major League Highlights
Hedges’ first Major League hit came on May 6, 2015, an RBI single off the San Francisco Giants. His most recent notable postseason appearance came in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series, where his strikeout against Paul Sewald pushed the contest into extra innings before the Rangers rallied. Throughout his career, his defensive rankings and pitch-framing metrics have regularly placed him among the league leaders at his position.
Austin Hedges Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Hedges was raised by Charlie and Pam Hedges, with his father Charlie coaching his Little League team, the OC Aztecs, a program that produced six MLB players, including Hedges, Matt Chapman, Zach Davies, David Fletcher, Joe Musgrove, and Bryce Harper. The tight-knit family environment in San Juan Capistrano, along with the Aztecs’ competitive culture, played a central role in his baseball upbringing.
Personal Life
Hedges married Maggie in 2019, and the couple later divorced in 2023. He resides in San Diego, California, during the offseason.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 season, Hedges remained with the Cleveland Guardians after re-signing on November 6, 2024, on a one-year major league contract. He continued in his familiar role as a veteran defensive catcher and mentor behind the plate, providing game-calling and framing support for the Guardians’ pitching staff. His steady presence allowed younger catchers in the organization to develop while still contributing on days he was in the lineup.
On October 15, 2025, Hedges signed another one-year contract with Cleveland, signaling the organization’s continued confidence in his role as a clubhouse leader and defensive specialist. With his bat still able to provide occasional production against right-handed pitching, Hedges remained a valuable piece of the Guardians’ catching group. His combination of experience, framing ability, and postseason pedigree gave Cleveland a reliable backstop to anchor the pitching staff into the next campaign.