After the Texas Rangers acquired Max Scherzer at the 2023 deadline, a number of their players were unsure of how to act, and almost distanced themselves out of respect for the future Hall of Famer.
Catcher Austin Hedges, who joined the Rangers two days later in a separate trade, took the opposite approach.
“He was like, I’m just going straight at this guy’s chin,” former Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe recalled.
Hedges, 32, could not be further from Scherzer in career accomplishments. His .186 lifetime batting average is the second lowest in AL-NL history among players with 2,000 at-bats according to STATS Perform, ahead of only Bill Bergen, who batted .170 from 1901-1911.
But teams continue to value Hedges for two reasons: his elite defensive skills and his rare ability to connect with a clubhouse.
The Cleveland Guardians, after reaching the American League Championship Series, made Hedges one of the first free-agent signings of the offseason, bringing him back on a one-year, $4 million contract. Never mind that Hedges’ career OPS is .559, and .446 the past three seasons.
The Guardians wanted Hedges’ energy. The confidence he instills in his teammates. And yes, the raucous, fun-loving environment he creates in a clubhouse, the way he did with Scherzer in 2023.
…and the text continues.
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