December 20: The Pirates have officially announced the signing.
December 17: The Pirates have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent catcher Austin Hedges, according to The New York Post’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Hedges, a client of the Boras Corporation, will receive $5MM.
Catcher was a position of need for the Bucs this winter, and they’ve now reinforced things behind the plate in re-signing Tyler Heineman to a minors deal yesterday, and now landing Hedges for what will likely be the bulk of the playing time. Jason Delay or possibly Endy Rodriguez (the only other catcher on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster) could also compete with Heineman for the backup job, and it’s possible former first overall pick Henry Davis might get his first taste of the majors in 2023. Davis made his Double-A debut with 31 games last season and will move onto Triple-A this coming year, but the Pirates are naturally not going to do anything to rush one of their top prospects.
Last offseason, the Pirates signed Roberto Perez to a one-year, $5MM deal, only to have Perez’s season ended by hamstring surgery after only 21 games. Now, the Bucs have signed Perez’s former Cleveland teammate Hedges to another $5MM pact in order to again add some veteran stability to the catching position.
Hedges came to the Guardians as part of the big nine-player swap between Cleveland and San Diego at the 2020 trade deadline, and immediately joined forces with Perez as the team’s regular catching tandem. The Guardians have long focused on defense over offense from the catcher’s spot, with Hedges in particular reflecting that tactic. Since Hedges debuted in the majors in 2015, his 54 wRC+ is the lowest of any player in baseball (minimum 2000 plate appearances).
With the glove, however, Hedges is one of baseball’s best. He rates a +75 from the Defensive Runs Saved metric, and both Fangraphs and Statcast have considered him an elite-level pitch-framer as recently as 2019, though his framing numbers are more above-average over the last three seasons than at the very top of the class. Hedges has thrown out 102 of the 338 (30.18%) baserunners who have attempted to steal on him during his career.
Hedges will look to continue this work with a Pirates rotation that is still relatively short on MLB experience, though Pittsburgh just added a more veteran arm in Vince Velasquez. The Pirates have been actively picking up lower-cost veteran talent this offseason, signing Hedges, Velasquez, Carlos Santana, and Jarlin Garcia to one-year deals in free agency, while also picking up Ji-Man Choi in a trade from the Rays.
Batting average doesn’t matter and it sure as hell doesn’t matter for catchers.
BA is still a relevant stat, just not the all-encompassing one it used to be
And if 35 catchers could hit at the same time instead of just 3 or 4, it would matter.
It only doesn’t matter because for some reason at the MLB level Catchers forget how to hit
For some reason? Maybe because it’s by far the most demanding defensive position and it’s nearly impossible to be great defensively plus being great hitter? Come on man think before you post
“For some reason? Maybe because it’s by far the most demanding defensive position and it’s nearly impossible to be great defensively plus being great hitter? Come on man think before you post”
Man the Orioles better move Adley to 1st Pronto. Jansen obviously just got lucky, he hasn’t hit at any level. Kirk must be super human. Phillies should just give up on JT too
NO its not soooo difficult that you can’t hit well if you focus on D.
I used to Catch, never in the majors mind you, but pretty frigging high level for a Canadian I traveled across the country as a youth playing. And caught every year.
Now a days, they only need to focus on framing and blocking. Pitch calling is done situationally and all the information needed is on your wrist , at a glance.
Pitcher has the ultimate say in what he throws anyway.
Take your own advice, the days of Catchers like Austin Hedges or Luke Maille are dying.
There’s enough true athletes out there by the end of the decade Catchers will need to start producing on both sides
Lol you are the most delusional person on the internet. Yikes…
Please elaborate. But I bet you won’t
Youre repeating something you’ve heard over the last few years, you haven’t had some epiphany or inside knowledge
Please provide factual evidence for your claim. I was happy to type out my opinion, and I could go get facts to back it up. But not gonna bother seeing you want to just say edgy stuff and look “cool” for the anons on the net
Try harder to troll. You’re not good at it
Why add in what you did ???
Does it make you special or more of an expert to comment because you played travel ball in a country dedicated to hockey ????
Nobody cares that you played travel ball your opinion is no better or worse than anyone else’s
Look cool you literally brought up your level of travel ball like it was D1 or AAA you vlown
And you might be the most condescending. Expecting your catcher to actually defend and hit better than his weight is not being unreasonable. There are other opinions besides your own. Plenty of examples of adequate hitting and good defensive catchers.
Actually, it kind of does give me a better perspective than your average Joe, especially regarding that position. Just like going through a dislocated shoulder and rotator cuff procedures leads to me to be able to comment appropriately on certain things
Take Muncy in the playoffs for instance, did he come back? No. Why?
There was an article here saying hrs trying to. But I said in that threat it’s impossible unless him swinging 1 armed is better than some 2 armed bench guys….and why could I say that?? Because it took ne over a year to recover from a dislocated elbow that was directly caused in a baseball game
Dunno why you’re so mad, did I steal your wife? Did I break your mother’s heart?
Not sure what your problem is, but you can take it up with someone else
Rols, are there not great fielders at every position that hit and hit extremely well?
You’ll have to excuse rols. He’s still trying to get over his obsession with Adam Frazier
Don’t forget how hard it is to hit in the majors. Every mlb hitter, even the sub replacement level hitters have hit 0.400-0.500 with power in their high school and travel team.
So those guys aren’t really bad hitters, just not quite enough for the mlb level.
So those teams don’t just draft some guy who can’t hit and is a good catcher, they get a guy who is a good defender with maybe some offensive question marks and they hope they can develop him into a hitter (usually higher whiff guys with some pop).
For example hedges was a real prospect at some point, his career minor league batting line is 273/326/441 (767 ops) which isn’t bad.
People just don’t underestimate the talent funnel, almost everyone who played baseball at a higher has dominated every level prior to that.
That’s the context in which you have to look at “teams don’t care about catcher defense”, they prioritize defense (i. E unlike 15 years ago guys like schwarber, vmart etc are simply unplayable) but still everyone of those guys once was a real hitting prospect and just couldn’t make the final leap.
That being said, those pure defensive only catchers only play either for bad teams or back up for good teams, the top 10 teams still have guys who can hit reasonably (95-105 wrc+ or better).
And for backup it totally makes sense to get a good defender because 250 bad plate appearances won’t kill your team but 50 botched games at the plate can.
Hedges will start with the pirates but that is fine because:
1) the pirates won’t compete in 2023 and so they can focus supporting their young pitchers
2) he will only start until late may or so when davis or endy are ready
Of course if you are a competing team you don’t want hedges to start but for now he is fine.
lay off the sauce, Domingo111, Endy won’t be promoted until after the trade deadline
Nutting’s adamant about service time and the super 2 status of rookies
For service time they only need to keep him down 2 weeks. For Super 2 (arbitration a year early) would be late may.
Elaborate on what? Catching being the most demanding position by far? That teams value defense so they sacrifice offense and don’t want guys like William contreras catching 100+ games? You can’t just name a few of the top hitting catchers and act like everyone should do that…. You really think majority of the league is just putting below average hitters at catcher for no reason? This isn’t an opinion man, it’s a fact. You either don’t follow baseball or just have no idea what’s going on… yearly hitting stats for catchers are WAY lower than every other position. This is just a coincidence, or teams being incompetent according to you? Geez the people commenting on this site have some of lowest baseball IQs I’ve ever seen…. This isn’t even debatable man. Maybe try looking at actual data before you keep using your 5th grade level analysis
It’s not unreasonable? Then why do catchers have the worst hitting stats as a whole literally every year? Teams don’t know how to find good offensive catchers according to you? Or maybe they just value defense at the most demanding position….. geez you guys are clueless
Lol you might’ve missed the part about catching being the most important and demanding defensive position. It’s nearly impossible to be a great hitter and great defensive catcher….
according to the MLB, service time is 172 days, not 2 weeks
Yeah, you’re right, I forgot all about Johnny Bench. Do any of you watch BB?
Solid example, one of the best catchers of all time. Who wasn’t even close to one of the best overall hitters of all time. Thanks for proving my point, curly. I’ve never encountered someone on the internet who more consistently self owns in their responses…
Pitch calling is only done by someone other than the catcher at low levels. If you are in travel ball in Little League or in high school, then yes, someone else may call the game.
Its the catchers job to help prepare the game plan with the pitchers and call the game once they get to MLB. Its never on the catcher’s wrist in the majors. Pitchers that call off the catcher more than occasionally are not in the majors long.
They play travel ball starting at 10 years old.
That you were good enough in Little League in a country with a quarter million players to be involved in travel ball is not something to crow about and it certainly does not give you a better perspective.
His last season was when? What century?
That certainly is not true. It’s just right now few of them are.
Or Buster Posey, or Roy Campanella or Carlton Fisk or Gary Carter or JT Realmuto or . . .
But when you have the worst run production in all of baseball over the last five year- that matters.
16 catchers had a wRC+ above 100
Isn’t WRC plus just the average for the position. So approximately half the guys should be league average……just saying
WRC isn’t the average of a position it’s the average for the whole league. A 100 wrc catcher and 100 wrc dh are roughly equivalent hitters (of course that’s super valuable at catcher and poor for a dh)
His was 25.
The average last year for MLB in the catcher spot was 86.
That is more than a little misleading. That includes all at bats for players that had at least a game at catcher.
In games in which they were catching, there were 8 players with at least 300 PA and a wRC+ over 100.
League wide the average during games in which they caught was a .228 BA, .663 OPS, and 88 wRC+.
As a whole, catchers hit very poorly compared to other positions.
But when you consider an annual salary for a truly terrible player to be $5M, it’s gotten outrageous.
Can any of us imagine making $5M if we were that poor at our job? And don’t tell me his glove is worth it. It is not. But that is MLB today.
Can you imagine being one of only 1000 people in the world that can do your job?
iverbure you should pace yourself..The onslaught hasn’t even started yet..
Nutting and Shelton are obsessed with catchers.
I don’t see how. Their 2 best Catchers are still in the minors and last years ML group was an embarrassment. At least Hedges is good defensively and can serve as a mentor to Rodriguez/Davis
They sign so many to minor league deals or from waivers.
Because the Pirates need every last day of control to ensure their prospects don’t become FA until their 30s and keep payroll cost down, avoiding super 2 and making sure they can maximize every asset and MAYBE contend once a decade if it all goes according to plan
It’s the Nutting way.
correction
Nutting and Shelton are obsessed with bottom feeder catchers, the cheaper the better
And before someone mentions Endy, he’s never faced major league pitching
The broken record
It’s my broken record, don’t like hearing it, put me on mute
Saying batting average doesn’t matter implies that Hedges has some other offensive value, but he had an OPS of .489 last year so it’s not just that he doesn’t get many hits, he also doesn’t get on base or provide any power either. With a wRC+ of 42, he’s about 58% below league average in terms of offensive production, which is way worse than other light hitting catchers like Maldonado, Stallings or Narvaez who are only like ~30% below league average.
Amazing defensive catcher in all aspects, but no matter what offensive metric you use, he can’t hit.
With the universal DH he doesn’t have to hit like he would if the pitcher was still batting. If he can bring other intangibles which by all accounts he should than it’s not a bad signing for a rebuilding club.
Rose colored glasses. He’s awful.
Maybe not, but OPS+ and wRC+ does. He’s been more than 50% below average in each of the past two seasons.
I think what a lot of people are trying to say is: “He’s so good behind the dish that he doesn’t need to bat.”
Usually you should have a bit of both. There aren’t many catchers that get the starting nod that are so bad offensively in favor of great defense.
And his defense isn’t THAT great. He’s no Casali or Maldonado or even a Stallings.
Nope he is not. He is better. Its why he had a job at all with a 42 OPS+.
batting average doesn’t matter unless you’re playing on a team that was last in runs scored in 2022
Admittedly, you can bury a weak hitter or two in a strong lineup (Mark Belanger with the ’69 Orioles being a prime example). But this guy hit .163 and you can’t bury him in a Pittsburgh lineup.
“The Blade”!
5 mill?, That’s 1 mill a hit!!
He is a great fielder!
Not so much. He’s trendinding down. It’s going to get worse with the bigger bases and more SBs next year.
He’s thrown out 30% of the baserunners who have challenged him in his career, but struggled last season with just a 22% (13 for 47) success rate. YIKES!
I didn’t know those stats, now I am questioning why the Pirates would sign him.
Major League Baseball’s pesky rules require the Pirates to have a catcher on their roster.
I always hated the %CS stat being attached to the catcher. Stolen bases are 50% how fast the pitcher is to the plate, 25% pitch selection and 25% the catcher. It should be a pitcher stat.
Nevertheless, Hedges is not a “great” defensive catcher.
Pete, he’s graded out as the best game caller in the entire league the past two seasons. To say he’s not a great defensive is a gross understatement
A lot of this is also based on the pitcher. Clase couldn’t hold anyone, so if they got on base, 2nd was an easy steal.
Yes, but hitting matters. It’s now a 24 out game, you’ve essentially lessened your opportunities to win a game.
It was about the money, Cleveland is cheap and Perez had the same offense and a tad better on defense. hedges was already inked.
The best damn defensive catcher in baseball right here, ladies and gentlemen.
That said, he is an automatic out!
For the first 100+ years of baseball, with very few exceptions like Berra, Campanella, and Bench, catcher was always thought of as an automatic out. It has always been the second position on the field, after pitcher, where defense is far more important than offense. It’s only since Mike Piazza that catchers were ever thought of as offense ahead of defense.
Disagree. In the 70’s alone, you had guys like Bench, Fisk, Tenace, Simmons and perhaps to a lesser extent, Sangy here in Pittsburgh
Jeez. I forgot Munson.
Love this game. It’s a funny game. So many moving parts.
Can’t recall my Orioles ever having that stud offensive catcher. (I go back to Haney and Etchebarren). Weiters (sp?), a decade or so back, was supposed to be that guy but the numbers didn’t happen.
Love this game. It’s a funny game.
Regardless of offensive capabilities, anyone in the line up can get hot over a small window of time and be impactful. October 1983. Catcher Rick Dempsey goes off and picks up a WS MVP. Not a Murray or a Ripken but a Rick “friggin” Dempsey. Beautiful!
So 5 out of a few hundred catchers in the 1970s. Kind of like it is today with only 8 being league average or better hitters in games where they played behind the dish.
Don’t forget Pat Borders winning it over three future HOFers on the Blue Jays 1992 team, Not to mention several other superstars of the day.
He did run into 7 pitches last season that went yard and drove in 30 runs
Last season, Heineman and Delay combined for 1 HR and 19 rbi. Hedges is an upgrade in offensive production, too.
In fact, Heineman, Delay and Perez COMBINED for 3 HR and 27 RBI. Seems like Hedges is also an offensive upgrade.
Roberto Pérez also had 3 dingers but he’s injury prone and only lasted 31 games last year until a hamstring injury forced him to miss the rest of the season
For the record, Perez had only 2 fingers, Delay had 1, and Heineman had none. That’s 3 total from all of them, while Hedges hit 7. Hedges has hit double digit HRs in 4 seasons.
my mistake, Budget, I was thinking of Michael Pérez, though he hit 7 last year I think
Paul- And three in one game to equal the yearly total of the other three catchers!
I’m just thanking God he’s not returning to CLE. Yeah his defense is one of the best in the league, but he literally gives you nothing at the plate. He’s the Billy Hamilton of catchers.
He is the perfect catcher for a rebuilding team not really expecting to win. His defense will do wonders for their young pitchers and it won’t really matter about his hitting because Pittsburgh is not winning even with prime Carlton Fisk behind the plate. But they can make some serious improvements to their pitching staff and maybe learn a little about winning.
JT Realmuto
rememberthecoop — Not even close.
This is a big Pirates move signing a guy with a 0 career WAR to a 5 million dollar deal.
Hahahahahahahahahaha
Not about WAR for him. Dude is an elite framer with solid pop time who controls a pitching staff quite well.
He’s really bad let’s just be honest
No.
He has the worst run production of ANY player in the last five years with 1000 bats. Really good catcher, really bad hitter.
he wasn’t signed to be an offensive player
They signed Perez to $5M last year and he played about 20 games. At least this guy plays.
At the very VERY least…
This is the joke about pirates fans. They don’t spend and they whine. They sign someone and they whine.
The Pirates are NOT an attractive DESTINATION for premier FA. This is a team where players are looking for playing time in hopes of playing into a better contract Ned off season.
So quit the whining already. Nothing and I mean nothing has changed or will change about this team and how it operates in FA
@TJECK109
At least the Pirates have fans. They really shouldn’t. They spent 5 million on a guy who will provide negative value and expect people to be thrilled? Nah. This is a bad move.
Didlz;
He will help their young pitching staff quite a bit.
And if you think that’s “negative value” for a young rebuilding team that’s not going anywhere in 2023, then you need a course in Major League Baseball 101.
This repeating about the wonders of Hedges glove has to be tempered. He is simply not the top line defensive catcher people are making out. He’s not advancing a young pitching staff, unless you’re equating him to Gary Sanchez.
@Samuel
He will provide negative value and that’s fine because that is exactly what this team wants.
Why wouldn’t they be an attractive destination. One year contract. You get traded to a contender at the trade deadline. They have running pierogis.
Edible pierogis might sway some players..
Did you read the portion about PREMEIR FA? And right after it I said it’s a team for players looking for playing time to get a better contract next season? Did you read it at all?
Shush
Pirate fans don’t sign the players which gives us the right to whine
When was the last baseball fan to sign a free agent?
When you can answer my question I will give you the same courtesy that you gave Pirate fans
It’s an irrelevant question, and really just ridiculous.
Perhaps you should just sit and say as a season ticket holder and financial supporter of the team I have a right to whine.
It’s unbelievable how long this team has been in this position and yet it’s the same whining every time they make the smallest move.
It’s hard not to root for the players when it’s the FO of that screws the team and it’s fans. But unless you are under the age of 15 you should be used to this ridiculousness. Whining about every move is just lazy
okay I’ll bite
as a Pirate fan since 1966 and a former 30 year season ticket holder, I’m whining that this cheap owner is unwilling to invest money into the team to make it competitive
Satisfied?
The pirate fans on here will complain no matter what the pirates do
I’ll be reminding you of your Pollyanna comments in August when once again, the Pirates are competing for last place
Yeah, like your hero Clepto, you’re on to personal attacks now, eh Buuba? As I asked him, above, is this all you’ve got? Is this the best you can do?
I’ve addressed your complaints before
I’ve advised that perhaps muting me would make sense, given your fragile psychological state. But you’ve declined. Instead, writing trailer park-inspired messages is more your thing
You’ve moved on? To where?
If anyone sounds old and crotchety, it’s you. Maybe you need a puppy
posters like Buuba are never happy unless they’re insulting others that disagree with them, Dude.
He’s next on my mute list
Is it permissible to whine about Nutting’s refusal to pay Reynolds a well deserved increase in salary or are we supposed to accept the status quo that this franchise is simply greedy?
They offered to make him the highest paid pirate. He turned it down
no they offered him a contract worth more then Hayes’ but not as the highest paid Pirate
The contract would have covered more years than Hayes
Weirdos
JD Martinez is several times better a hitter (quite literally in terms of OPS+ the last few years, and he just gets twice. I get that catchers aren’t supposed to hit and defense is something, but it’s absurd that a free out gets this much money.
I think JD left $ on the table to get regular AB’s with a top team.
I remember a couple years into his career with the Padres (2018) when he made a couple of tweaks to his swing, and was driving everything to the right center gap with power and looked like he was turning the corner offensively..then if memory serves, he got hurt..and when he came back, was completely pull happy again, and never looked good offensively again after that. Always rooted for him..but he seemed to completely turn away from what was working.
Pirates no longer in McCann sweepstakes!
I like it the love even though the team lacks offensive production. He should be helpful to the young pitching staff
I’m totally fine with this. He’s probably the best defensive catcher in the league.
The Pirates are essentially saying we don’t care about offense as they’re going into the year with Hedges and Heineman behind the plate, but I am all for the defensive spectal they’ll put on.
Catchers only have to hit in rotisserie baseball.
In MLB they’re the most important position player on the team. Hitting is the last thing they need to do.
It’s not that they don’t care about offense, they’re just not going to pay for it
That said, I’m fine with their signing of Hedges.
It could have been worse, they could have brought Michael Pérez back
I love it. Couldn’t be happier.
Looking forward to hearing from The Man3, YourDreamGM, Mendoza line 215, and Tiredolddude
You know, BudgetBall, someone mentioned this as simply being a lateral move to what they did last year, from contract value right down to the type of catcher they’re getting. And that’s true
It’s tiresome, really. It’s the same old song and dance for fans
After seeing a year of Thompson, I’m still trying to figure out why they traded Stallings. They essentially got a pitcher who can’t keep his fastball out of Main Street, and two minor leaguers who don’t even show up on Pirates radar. At least Stallings would occasionally give you a hit or homer.
That said, Hedges will fit right into this anemic offense
I get it, but must point out that Hedges hit 7 long balls last season to Stallings 4. For their career, it’s Hedges 66 to Stallings 21. And I love Hedges’ defense.
Oh I understand your reasoning and you’re right. Defensive oriented, and Hedges hit more homers while Stallings hit for higher average
And if nothing else, here’s hoping he can help the pitchers
You wish you shall receive. 1st lets get rid of the myths. I don’t believe he is the best defensive catcher or pitch framer anymore. Still better than most buy not the best or 2nd best etc. He has fallen off some. I don’t care about his bat at all. Anyone think the Pirates are a world series or even playoff contender? Even if you do it’s going to be a quick exit if the difference maker is having a awful hitting catcher vs a really awful hitting catcher.
What he does well is improve pitchers. Only reason Cleveland kept him around and they are a lot smarter than Pittsburgh. And remember Cleveland choose to keep Hedges over Perez. And the Pirates and their pitchers LOVED Perez. When you have a ton of young catchers including 2 top prospects this is the type of guy you want around. Let Reynolds Vogey Gamel Santana whatever veteran they bring in next year show them some hitting tips. I think he is worth 5 million but if he is only worth 3 who cares. 2 million 5 million is nothing. Excellent signing not that other guys out there would have been bad. Definitely didn’t want Sanchez though.
BB-Thank you for including me in the quartet of fine young minds.
I just wrote three medium size paragraphs that were lost to the ad.I basically said that it was a good deal and that Hedges will help the pitching staff.Keep in mind that he is just a placeholder
BB-Hopefully the third time is the charm.
Thank you for including me in the quartet of fine young minds.
I think that this is a good signing and Hedges as a placeholder will help the pitching staff and Endy and Davis grow.He is better and seemingly more durable than what they had last year and if necessary can be brought back next year.
I believe Stsllings was projected to get a substantial increase in salary with his next arbitration hearing, Dude
Talk about same old story with this franchise
I get that he’s just holding down the fort until Endy is promoted but I’ve said this before and it’s worth noting, Endy has never faced major league pitching nor has he caught major league pitching on a consistent basis
The Bucs player development doesn’t exactly have a history of transforming prospects into stars
Thanks for weighing in on this under the radar signing. I always enjoy your polite and thoughtfully measured takes on Pirates doings.
I enjoy the opinions of the other 3 of the “quartet”, as well, although, they offer a decidedly more pessimistic take on Pirates doings. I’m an overly optimistic fellow myself. Can’t let it get to my blood pressure.
BB-Dream GM has hope too.Tired and The Man have been worn out by Nutting and the years of losing.I understand.I see the glass half full but on the way up.They see the glass almost empty or emptying and no one to fill it.I think that the Pirates are trying and do not have a lot of options as a small market team.Am I negative or positive? I would say neither,I am a realist.We have seen the hype over too many years,see the lack of fundamentals and proper coaching,and see current on field management as sorely lacking.I think that Nutting will spend if he ever gets a good team again,but certainly not on the current fervor of high priced free agents for very long contracts.
BB-And in my life I always appreciate people who appreciate me.
I have not lived in the Pittsburgh area since 1977,being close to Philadelphia now,so I am not as knowledgeable of the Pirates as many of the other posters.I was told as a young man to be quiet and thought stupid than to talk and remove all doubt,so I keep quiet on subjects on which I am ignorant.Everyone comes from a different standpoint,and as long as they are not trolls,overly stupid,arrogant,or homers,I respect their opinions.I also subscribe to the late Rodney King’s statement of,”Can’t we all just get along”.
I’m actually happy that Mr. Nutting doesn’t spend money foolishly on these potentially franchise crippling contracts. However, I do find it odd that he won’t spend a bit more until the team is better, when it is apparent that the team won’t get better UNTIL he spends a little more. Catch 22.
That said, I like the small moves the Pirates have made so far and I feel like the 2023 club will be 10 or more wins better than the 2022 club.
BB-Nutting is too smart and too much of a businessman to go overboard.I think that the Cohens and Middleton’s and the Padres owner are actually ruining baseball with their wasteful spending.Half of the leagues become the minor leagues for the other half.I get frustrated when he has not spent to better improve the team during its recent awfulness,but he evidently does not see the reason to do so.It is to make it more bearable for the fans.
I have noticed too many stadiums recently with few fans,and it is not just the Pirates.The ticket and refreshment prices for many teams are exorbitant.I have my doubts about the future viability of the sport and game that we all love.
BB-I had hoped for a ten game improvement in 2022 and lost a bet because I predicted it.
It caused me to be negative on the Pirates for the reasons previously stated.
Let’s just say this- I hope that the Pirates will be at least ten games better in 2023 than in 2022.
But,like you,I am not going to lose any sleep about it.
They should be at least 10 wins better. Probably could have been last year if that was their goal instead of getting a high draft pick. Seems like they are invested in winning this year. Couple legit 1b and catcher was the only holes.
Dream- They should.
Their goal last year was to get experience for as many young players as they could.
The only way that they will improve this year is that those players will improve.The veteran signings are placeholders and will not have a decided difference in their record.
Their goal this year is to get better,get more experience for those young players and those brought up this coming year,and to figure out which ones to keep.
I am not confident of the adequacy of the fielding and hitting coaches and the current on field management.
And as a long time fan for a team that has had the equivalent of 3 1/2 years of 100 loss seasons,I am at the very least somewhat skeptical of much improvement.
Young players like vanmeter.
Dream-I have to quote the Seinfeld character here-You are a bad man,a very very bad man.
Wrong
I genuinely hate you as a person.
I hoped the Rays would sign him. Good snag. He improves a staff immediately.
Why stop there?
C. Hedges/Perez
1b. Bradley
2bMiller
Ss. Chang
3b. Clement
Lf. Mercado
Cf. Zimmer
Rf. Bauer
Dh. Reyes
It was only a couple of years ago . . .
In nurse follars;
For over 5 years there’s been a underground railway between the Guardians, Rays, and Pirates.
…and yet the GUARDIAN brain trust said at one time the above line up was better than anything the had.
They exposed Ocscar Gonzalez to the rule 5 draft, which got canceled last year and he is a building piece and yet couldn’t discern his talent
I genuinely hate you as a person. Btw he was exposed more than once and was never taken. You’re welcome.
how can you “ genuinely hate “ anyone based on their opinions in this forum?
Maybe “ disrespect or disagree “ but hate?
I bet you’re a joy at parties
Never thought an Austin Hedges thread could get so heated
Gonzalez will take a step back the year, the chase rate and no walks will give another a shot at RF starting time.
Not sure I agree about Santana. Have you seen his splits against lefties? He figured something out in Seattle.
He is being paid purely to help the young pitchers maybe who can be helpful in future years. Pirates arent competing next year so if Hedges helps them develop, a lot more valuable than if he was a better bat and could help them win 2 more games this year which doesnt matter.
A reasonable post!
Good gawd, man. As if the Pirates weren’t offensively challenged already. You haven’t seen bad until you see Hedges try to hit.
I’ve seen the myth once referred to as Jeff Mathis my friend…
I hope they do a hype video for Twitter.
It’ll be the sweetest pitch framing compilation anyone has ever seen.
Lol
Hosmer, Hedges Padres hated
I could only imagine the conference call between Ben Cherrington, the GM for the Pirates, and Scott Boras, “you’d better HEDGE your bets on my boy Aussie over here, he’s a real weedwhacker behind the plate I tell ya!”
Paging “fact” spouting TheMan3: check out contract value.
Here endth the lesson. Oh, and its an ownership GROUP with Nutting as Principal Owner.
You made yourself look like a blithering assclown on one thread and I congratulate you on your tenacity and consistency in bringing into to another thread
Try to find a hobby that entails you coming out from behind your keyboard, Clepto. As is, you look cowardly and juvenile, as you spew inconsequential factoids that you learned from DK Sports. Your act isn’t only weak, it’s pathetic
Well, as we have historically seen, when proven wrong, people hide behind their safe space via the Mute button.
The funny part? It took less than 1 news cycle to prove that idiot wrong…
Now “get off my lawn.”
Get off my lawn? Did you get that from Married With Children re-runs? This is the best you’ve got? I’m not even at Social Security age yet, worked with kids for 35+ years, and this is your insult?
Here’s one for you: seek professional help
Your prepubescent behavior on this site reminds one of the bad pimple that never goes away.
And your rendering of “facts,” as you see them anyway, serves to simply be contrarian, as I’ve told you before
You’re not fooling anyone, son
Take a hike. You’re embarrassing yourself
you’re worth my right to put you on mute, Clepto
Like a nagging wife or a spoiled child, you’re annoying
B Y E !
You have to consider the man 3 and tired old dude. Their age is an impediment to their thinking clearly. Both have posted the same old dribble countless times. I share one thing with these two. That we are around the same age. But while I move on, they get stuck in mud.
You have to consider that these two put their dentures in the same glass. They share the same bottle of Geritol and now share the same old postings.
It’s hell getting old, FOR SOME
Ah, much like your hero Clepto, you’re on to personal attacks now, eh Buuba? As I asked him, above, is this all you’ve got?
Is this the best you can do?
I’ve addressed your complaints before
I’ve advised that perhaps muting me would make sense, given your fragile psychological state. But you’ve declined. Instead, writing trailer park-inspired messages is more your thing
You’ve moved on? To where?
If anyone sounds old and crotchety, it’s you. Maybe you need a puppy
As for getting old, I suspect I do more in one hour than you do in a day
Have some prunes, Buuba
Tell me….who would you sign right now that would put the pirates over the top??? There is not one single star that could put the young bucs over the top. They have to do it with the young guys. Watch them mature together.
What they need to do is get a new manager and coaching staff. I can see this team playing close to 500 this year. I can see the young starters maturing.
As far as personal attacks, you’ve been doing a good job on this clepto. I don’t know him, but I agree with him.
If all you have is sour grapes, then you need to ferment them.
As far as you doing more in one hour than I do in one day, lol….by. Seeing all your posts you spend more time online.
I’m an active old dude, but not tired
You’re missing the point and I’ve explained it to you before. My problem is with ownership, first and foremost. We’ve dispelled the small market myth/handy explanation where Nutting is concerned. We’ve put to rest the idea that poor old Bob is just scraping by where profits are concerned. We’ve reminded all that the wonderful palace that Nutting conducts business in was built with taxpayer dollars We’ve reminded people that the numerous bars, restaurants, hotels and assorted shops that have come and gone around the Federal Street corridor banked on assurances that the park world bring in revenue. Only problem is, it brings in very little when a perennial loser is playing at PNC
You make note of the young players and watching them mature, and then echo what we’ve said repeatedly: the kids are stagnating under poor management and coaching
And I’ve discussed here and elsewhere, what is most fascinating is that very maturation and the next wave of kids coming up
As for personal attacks, your memory is self serving. This all goes back to the O’s/Adam Frazier thread, when Clepto was corrected by Yankee Clipper and Trumbo. I’m sure you’ve read it, as it is pertains to the Pirates signings of free agents
That you’ve cast your lot with a well known clown who provides “facts” which he’s manipulated to suit his own purpose speaks volumes. How petty of you. You’ve found a fellow dissenter in the form of a troll
As for your last comment, yeah, ok. Maybe a good walk around the neighborhood can ease your fragile mental state
I’m not casting my lot with anyone. I don’t know this clepto. You call him s troll he probably is.
But you didn’t answer my question. Who should they sign , the one player to take trm immediately to 500. No Notice I didn’t say playoffs.
I did answer your question
Ownership has scuttled the ship
Over the past X-number of years, they’ve gotten rid of any talent they had
And your question is, “Who can they sign?” Seriously? This is your attempt to use some strange combination of pretzel logic and psychology on me?
There are many here who decry the Pirates’ annual dumpster dive or signing of a middling pitcher or player for the sole purpose of flipping them for more prospects at deadline time
This off-season has been more of the same.
It’s a never-ending cycle, indeed, “two years away from being two years away.”
But apparently, this is ok with you
If you’re going to rest upon the fortunes of your youth, both here at the MLB level and in the minors, spend your money on good player development personnel. Spend it on high end pitching instructors. And find the best evaluators of young talent.
I understand why they spend on a free agent here or there. Again, @YankeeClipper has described it well from the MLB perspective
But show some signs that the perpetual rebuild has some light at the end of the tunnel. Cleveland has done it. So has Baltimore
My worry will be that like 2022, and with so many kids who need the experience, we’ll once again see retreads and cast-offs to give the illusion of competing
What’s hard for an older fan like myself, is that I remember the great Pittsburgh players, Clemente, Mazeroski, Long, Stargell, Kiner, Parker, Groat, Face, Oliver, Law. And I’m not even a Pirate fan. But I want to see franchises like Pittsburgh rise up again. Owners like Nutting are burying the fan base along with the team. Shame on him. At least try!
Agreed 100%, Pete. That’s the point. Along with the players you named, we can add the early 90’s Leyland era or the Cutch playoff years
Pittsburgh is a good baseball town
Unfortunate that one guy has done so much to kill the franchise’s storied history and its fan base, all at once
They could have done worse , Hedges is only a stopgap for Endy . Very good defensive catcher , a good mentor for Endy and Henry .
Yep, that’s it
Is anyone not a good pitch framer?
I’m sure he’s not the only one, but Gary Sanchez is not a good pitch framer and he is also a passed ball and error machine.
The worst framers in baseball
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/catcher_framing?year=2022&team=&min=q&type=catcher&sort=4,0
Thanks for this.
Catching in baseball is soooooo bad. How does a guy like him get a contract? Cause he plays decent enough defense at the position…. otherwise guys like him, never even make it past AA
He could go into next season with both of his arms missing and there will still be people that say he has the tools to be catching in the show.
I’m guessing the Pirates see him as a mentor, both for the pitching staff and for Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis, both of whom could reach Pittsburgh in 2023.
People love to say “competitive advantage” over and over.
Teams have entire board rooms full of Ivy Leaguers and supercomputers crunching the numbers for ANY and ALL “competitive advantages”.
So they say.
Then, they trot out catchers who can’t hit their nephews pitching in backyard wiffleball.
Bit of a market inefficiency there.
Here is a REAL “competitive advantage” and the Pirates (of all teams) actually have it in their sight…
Have TWO guys who can both hit and catch AND play other positions or DH (like say, Davis and Rodriguez) and then you can ALWAYS have an elite catcher in your lineup (while other teams field guys more like Hedges) and you can still get them enough at bats while not wearing them down behind the plate.
I thought the Pirates spent poorly by signing Santana.
I thought the Pirates spent wisely when they signed Jarlin Garcia.
This one Is less simple. Hard for me to believe that another team would have paid Austin 5 million to be their backup. So while I think Austin is a good fit for Pittsburgh to work both with the young pitchers and with their elite catching prospects, it seems like the dollars are a little high. Boras must have told the Pirates if you only offer 4 million then Hedge will take half that to be the backup on a contender. And maybe that is true.
Of course they over paid. (I just think other teams undervalued him) At least half the teams in baseball have to over pay. There are states better for taxes. States better weather. States closer to family. Teams that are going to be in playoffs. 5 million is nothing. I can see another team wanting him as a starter.
or maybe they negotiated because the free agent market has substantially increased the salaries of free agents and the $5 million mark was mutually agreed upon?
Over paid
When he was the 8 hitter for the Padres it was like having 2 pitchers hit in a row.
Why was he hitting in front of the pitcher??
Hayes – 3B
Reynolds – CF
Cruz – SS
Santana – 1B
Choi – DH
Andujar – LF
Suwinski – RF
Castro – 2B
Hedges – C
Bench –
Marcano, Castillo, Bae, Mitchell/Vilade Heineman.
If healthy, this looks like the position players the Pirates will start season with. Endy Rodriguez will be up at some point but no way he breaks camp with the team.
Liover Peguero should be up at some point as well. He could ender the 2B mix or shortstop if the Pirates decide to move Cruz to the outfield.
Suwinski is a strikeout machine, Castro should bat 7th and Hayes isn’t productive enough to bat lead off
While it’s hard to get excited about this proposed line-up and your comment is dead-on, it’s @ronnsnow’s last paragraph that’s compelling to me
What happens if Peguero is ready and Cruz is faltering?
The 2nd base mix seemingly has all middle infielders, including Bae, Castro, Marcano, Nick Gonzalez
(And OF-wise, it’s interesting to me that you don’t hear or read much about guys like Swaggerty or Hudson Head anymore)
The most interesting thing about the Pirates over these next two years will be these waves of young players. Are they the real deal? Are they progressing? And with so many here or coming shortly, what decisions will be coming?
Dude, I hope one decision that happens, if they don’t show substantial improvement, Shelton and his coaching staff are kicked to the proverbial curb
Sure, that might be the lineup on day one. But surely it will be different on the next 161 days because Shelton.
absolutely fbf923, the only thing consistent about Shelton was his different lineup for every game
Heyman’s an idiot.
Please stop listening to him, MLBTR.
I heard somewhere that Austin Hedges likes to put his balls in his catcher’s mitt and open it to show guys in the clubhouse.
Oh
Endy won’t be competing for the backup. You think the Pirates want to lose a year of service time? They don’t even want super 2. Not that he is fully mlb ready anyways. He can learn some things from Hedges in spring training and late summer.
Exactly what they needed. You aren’t getting offense at this price point so might as well go all defense instead of a lesser catcher who will only hit slightly better. They can just skip his abs and give him a automatic out so he doesn’t have to waste time taking his gear off. You can’t win without pitching. Pirates can’t afford pitching. This guy needs to work with the young pitchers and build up their confidence. Other catchers better watch everything he does.
“doesn’t have to waste time taking his gear off” hahahahahahaha
I think it is only an overpay if you look at past year’s data. The way spending has skyrocketed this year the $5M is like maybe $2M in the past. Given that the Pirates won’t spend very much on any FA, that they will only give one year contracts and no good players want to come to Pittsburgh, then a guy like Hedges is what you get. Hopefully by mid year Endy is up and quickly pushes him out of a job.
Salary is fine. News flash people on the internet don’t know what they are talking about. (Except me of course) Cleveland paid him 4 million last year. Did they suddenly expect a offensive explosion from him? No they paid for ability to handle pitchers. They went to the playoffs and gave the 250 million or whatever Yankees all the could handle. They upgraded at catcher so Pittsburgh gets their scraps. Just like last year.
That headline and the contract value is the most Pirates thing I’ve ever heard.
WTH are the Rays doing? I thought this would be the guy, especially after missing out on everyone else. Ugh.
Liking this deal. Good catcher that can pickup a staff. Hitting is lacking but maybe he can straighten that out. Will be a good mentor to Henry when he makes the show (hopefully this year).
“Hitting is lacking”. Good one.
Perfect fit in Pittsburgh. Cheap and can’t hit.
Cheap and can’t hit
Sounds like an advertisement from the owner
Pirates fans putting on their beer goggles again after Nutting drags in another cheap bum.
I resemble that remark…and I love my beer goggles!
Sad days for the Buc-Os indeed. Hedges is no Manny Sanguillen but he could be a good mentor for their next catcher.
The Bucs haven’t had offensive minded catchers since Russell Martin and Fransisco Cervelli but those types of catchers aren’t a dime a dozen anymore
The Bench’s, Piazza’s and Sanguilens have been replaced by the defensive minded catchers
Good signing considering the prospects.
Could prove to be a great signing if he can mentor the pitchers.
Could prove to be a great signing if he helps younger catchers in spring.
Could prove to be a great signing if he gets anywhere near his 2018 offensive performance.
Could prove to be a horrible signing if he gets hurt in the first 30 games.
Pirates are spending this off season. Granted it is all potential deadline trade signings they all can push the team to not be the worst. in the NL and possibly more with some luck.
With the Pirates new lumber company lineup we can afford a non hitting catcher.
Can the Pirates apply for a second DH under a hardship rule?
Maybe MLB should allow a second DH if your first string catcher bats less than .200
The Pirates had a few pitchers in the past who batted higher than this player.
Pirates are well positioned to compete for 4th place.
Pirates designated Diego Castillo for assignment to create a roster spot.
First of the decent young position players to be designated.