When the Padres went large for Austin Hedges, taking him in the second round despite his commitment to UCLA and pledging $3 million to get him to forgo college, the driving belief was Hedges would become a defensive star.
That has happened.
At 27, Hedges is one of the game’s top catchers.
How about his offense? What was the hitting projection for Hedges?
Perhaps he could become an average hitter, said several scouts in 2011. Jason McLeod said he drafted Hedges largely for his defense but added that Hedges could develop fairly good hitting power.