Austin Hedges
C
/ Junipero Serra High School
Bats-Throws: R-R
Height/Weight: 6-1/185
Hometown: San
Juan Capistrano, Calif.
College
Commitment: UCLA
Birthdate: Aug.
18, 1992
SCOUTING
PROFILE: The 2011 high-school class
has plenty of outstanding defensive prospects, including shortstops
like Francisco Lindor (Florida), Julius Gaines (Georgia) and Trevor
Story (Texas), and outfielders like Bubba Starling (Kansas) and
Tanner English (South Carolina). But the one prospect that most
stands out on that side of the ball is Hedges, who was named the 2010
Rawlings National Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. While
Southern California scouts have been debating all spring if they may
not have a true first-round, high-school prospect in their mix for
the first time in draft history, Hedges has emerged as the leading
candidate to prevent that distinction from occurring. His advanced
skills at the most-demanding of defensive positions could be the
difference-maker. He excels in all areas of catching, and plays the
position with high energy. Hedges has a shortstop’s build with wide
shoulders and slender, quick hips, and plays his position a lot like
a highly-athletic shortstop would play his. He is exceptionally light
on his feet with cat-like quickness in shifting and blocking. He also
receives the ball cleanly with soft hands and has a deliberate,
compact release on his throws to go with above-average raw arm
strength. At Perfect Game’s National Showcase last summer, Hedges
had 1.75 pop times in drills, 1.85 between innings and 1.90 in games
with regularity. He has shown those same times with regularity this
spring. Hedges is so polished defensively that he may be the best
catcher in this year’s draft, more-experienced college catchers
included. But there is also a strong chance that he may not be the
first catcher drafted. That distinction could go to New Mexico’s
Blake Swihart, who is the best offensive catcher in the country and
could play a number of other positions. While his defense overshadows
his offense, Hedges should still hit well enough in the future to be
an everyday big-league catcher. He has a simple righthanded swing
with good flow to contact that he keeps short and direct to the ball.
He is primarily a line-drive hitter with some gap power, and should
continue to drive balls with more regularity as he gets stronger. As
a senior for Junipero Serra High, he hit a respectable .366-4-16 with
11 doubles. A concern for scouts is Hedges’ signability. He is a
4.0-plus student and his commitment to UCLA is perceived as being
very strong. Should Hedges skip through the draft and attend UCLA, he
most likely would miss catching top pitching prospects Gerrit Cole
and Trevor Bauer, which would have been a treat to see, but UCLA has
plenty of other talented young arms for Hedges to work with in the
future.
Projected
Draft Position: Late First
Round/Sandwich Round
Perfect
Game Events Attended:
2007 BCS 16u So Cal Regional
2010 National Showcase
2010 AFLAC All-American Game