Guardians bring back clubhouse leader Hedges on 1-year deal

CLEVELAND -- If you surveyed everyone in the Guardians’ clubhouse about who had the most impact on the 2024 roster, you’d likely get the same answer: Austin Hedges.

That’s why it should come as no surprise to Cleveland fans that this organization was determined to bring him back in 2025 and did so quickly. On Wednesday, the Guardians announced that the team re-signed Hedges on a one-year deal.

“The thing that made the most sense to me of what I wanted most, it started in Cleveland in 2020, ’21,” Hedges said. “I just never really experienced what it’s like to look forward to going to work every day.

“And then everything we accomplished and went through together last year just made it even more obvious that we had to run it back.”

This isn’t a player who has or will dramatically change this offense. He’s not a superstar stealing all the national headlines. He isn’t even an everyday player, as he’ll continue to be a backup to Bo Naylor.

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It’s the intangibles that makes Hedges so valuable. When he’s been behind the plate, the Guardians know that his defense will be top notch. They know that he’ll handle the pitching staff better than anyone in baseball. And they know that he’ll continue to teach the up-and-coming catchers in their system how to go about the game the right way.

His reach extends far beyond catchers, though. Hedges is a leader for everyone in the room. He’s the main source of energy and enthusiasm. Anyone in the stands at Progressive Field can confirm that by watching him shotgun a Red Bull, crush the can and slam it down the dugout steps before every game.

“I’ve told so many people this all year,” Guardians utility man David Fry said last month. “That guy could get zero hits and he is underpaid.”

The Guardians know, too, that he has tools that he brings to the table on the field. He had a handful of hits in big situations this year when his team desperately needed them. His framing ability ranked in the 82nd percentile, and his four blocks above average ranked in the 75th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.

“He’s not just the mascot,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said at the end of the season. “This is a really good player. He’s so much more to us than what any outside source can see. He helps us get better. He helped me get better. … You don’t stay in the league as long as he’s been here by accident.”

But Hedges’ calling card is his leadership. He’s the man convincing everyone that they can rally from any deficit, which led them to the second-most comeback victories in the Majors this past season. He’s a veteran who provides a sense of comfort and consistency for young players to learn from. He’s the guy who can relate to everyone in the room. And clearly, he’s been a secret recipe in recent seasons for multiple teams.

In 2022, the Guardians didn’t have such lofty expectations. They were supposed to finally experience a rebuilding season, as they turned to the young players in their farm system to get a chance at the big league level for the first time. But with Hedges in the room, he created a “Why not us?” mentality that led them to the second round of the playoffs.

When Hedges was gone in ’23, the organization took a step backward, ending the year with a sub-.500 record and missing the playoffs. Meanwhile, Hedges was a late addition to the Rangers’ roster and was part of a special run in October after a rocky ending to the regular season that ended with him receiving a World Series ring.

Hedges came back to Cleveland in ’24, and somehow the magic of the ’22 team filled the clubhouse once again. The players who were able to experience both seasons said that ’24 was even more special than ’22. Guys bonded unlike any other team any of them had played on.

Hedges made sure that players who were added at the Trade Deadline or called up in the middle of the season immediately felt like brothers. He made sure the room was tension-free and that everyone had a child-like approach to the game, simply having fun every time they took the field. And after wins, he channeled his best inner WWE announcer voice to hand out a championship belt to the team’s MVP of the game.

“You can’t quantify what he brings every day and how everybody looks up to him and the experience he brings,” Fry said at the end of the season. “Gosh, I hope we have him back next year.”

Fry’s wish was granted.