Former Padres Top Prospect Contemplated Sudden Retirement Due to Pressure in San Diego

Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) and manager Stephen Vogt (12) celebrate after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. The Guardians clinched a playoff berth with the win. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The smile on Austin Hedges' face at spring training with the Cleveland Guardians couldn't be found when he was with the San Diego Padres.

In fact, he was so unhappy that he almost retired from baseball completely.

“When I was in San Diego, nothing was ever good enough for me. There was no such thing as having a good day,” Hedges told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The amount of pressure Hedges put on himself with the Padres was debilitating.

“At a certain point,” Hedges said, “I don’t know if I even wanted to play baseball anymore.”

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Hedges grew up in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., about an hour north of San Diego. The Padres selected him in the second round of the 2011 draft, and scouts in Southern California recognized him as the top defensive catcher from the region in more than a decade, as reported by Baseball America. By 2014, the publication had ranked him as the Padres' top prospect.

Growing up watching the Padres, Hedges wanted to be an All-Star for his hometown team and develop into one of the best in franchise history. Instead, he found himself drowning. It was difficult for him to learn how to catch, establish himself offensively, and serve as a bellwether of a rebuilding club.

Maybe it was too much too soon and former Padres manager Andy Green acknowledged that.

“He was thrust into a leadership position in the major leagues before anyone else in the game really gets thrust into that,” Green said.

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The Padres sent Hedges to Cleveland during the shortened 2020 season and his world began to change in a good way.

“My career changed when I got traded to Cleveland,” Hedges said. “I didn’t really figure out how to look in the mirror and acknowledge what was actually happening until I got out of San Diego.”

He isn't an everyday player but the atmosphere in the dugout and the clubhouse brings a smile to his face regardless of his role. He never seems to have a bad day and finds a way to bring value to the team.

“And maybe that something,” he said, “is making sure that one dude every day feels like they’re 10 feet tall.”

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