Austin Hedges, Josh Naylor and Six Days in 2023

If you follow the Guardians and have been online recently, you may have noticed that catcher Austin Hedges said some really mean-spirited and negative things about former Guardian and current Seattle Mariner Josh Naylor during Sunday’s game between the two teams at Progressive Field. For those that may have missed it, Hedges and Naylor were shouting at each other across the field as an inning that had included Naylor deliberately leaning into a pitch ended. Hedges was heard on the field mics shouting “No one likes you!… Your own teammates don’t like you!” with some other spicy words adding in for flavoring.

Despite a Quiet Off-Season, This Guardians Opening Day Feels Different

So maybe my mind is just contaminated with that spring fever, but I have to say that while the Guardians have seen legitimate success in recent years, I feel especially optimistic about what the next 200 or so days could bring.