When the San Diego Padres drafted Austin Hedges in the 2nd round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft, they knew they were getting a defensively gifted receiver with high offensive upside. Over close to seven seasons in the minors, Hedges proved his capability behind the plate and also made considerable progress as a hitter.
Although his first season in the big leagues was not extraordinary by any means, there were several areas that Austin Hedges excelled in. As per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Hedges was second in MLB in pitch framing (20.