Austin Hedges

 Look, the closest I ever got to a major league field is camera day at the Jake.  I also know that these guys are just trying to make a living playing this game.  If they don't play it is taking food out of their family's mouth.  I don't know if I am even qualified to have the opinion I am about to express.  But here goes.

Austin Hedges, to me, appears to be one of the worst major league players I have ever seen.  Now I only saw him a little last year and this IS spring training.  But, still.

• Most guys can hit in spring training, at least.   Hedges can't even do that.   I mean, he is pathetic at the plate, even when he is just trying to make contact.   Most pitchers are probably better hitters than him.   The fact that he is an automatic out should make it questionable whether he should even be a backup in the majors.  Even if he was the best defensive catcher in the world.  Which brings me to the rest of this post.
• Hedges is said to be an excellent defensive catcher.  Well, I just don't see it.
• From my perspective his pitch framing is terrible.   I haven't seen him get one borderline call for his pitchers since he has been with the Indians.
• The last two games I have seen him give up runs with a throwing error and not get a ball out of his glove to even make a throw, not once but twice.
• His pitch blocking looks decent but not above average.
• Finally, and this could just be my impression, the last two times I have seen him he caught Bieber and Plesac.  Both of these guys got bombed when he was catching.  Now, is it his fault that they got bombed?  I know that would be a stretch but they did get bombed.  Now, Hedges did catch Plesac in his last start against the Cubs and Plesac had his best outing of the spring so there is that.   So maybe there is nothing there.

Still, we are paying Hedges the second highest salary on this team, over $3 million a year. Do we really think, given his performance, that he is worth that?   

I don't know if they do but if the Indians have until the end of spring training to release Hedges and only owe him 45 days salary I would think they have to think about doing that.