PITTSBURGH -- Austin Hedges was raised in Southern California. He spent the first five-and-a-half seasons of his Major League career in San Diego. But for the California kid, the decision to sign with the Pirates represents something of a homecoming.

“It starts with family roots,” Hedges said.

Hedges, who joined Pittsburgh on a one-year, $5 million deal, talked with reporters about his deep-rooted connection to the city on Tuesday. His great-grandparents immigrated from Ukraine to Pittsburgh. His grandfather, Pete Opar, was one of the first 13 people to work for USAir, which became US Airways before its merger with American Airlines in 2015. His mother, Pam Opar, grew up in Pittsburgh. Hedges visited the city at least once a year for the first 20 years of his life and described Pittsburgh as a “second home.”

Hedges recalled Pete taking him to games at PNC Park as a kid, being infatuated with the sport-centric atmosphere compared to Southern California. Pete has since passed away, and Hedges looks forward to his first opportunity to suit up in the black and yellow at PNC Park.

“It’s going to be really special on Opening Day,” Hedges said.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo for assignment.

Assuming good health, Hedges stands to be the Pirates’ starting catcher on Opening Day, as well as for the season’s first couple months. As spring gives way to summer, however, Hedges’ role stands to evolve.

Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez, the Pirates’ No. 1 and No. 6 prospects per MLB Pipeline, will begin next season in the Minor Leagues, as confirmed by manager Derek Shelton at the Winter Meetings, but they will likely make their debuts some time next season. Even with Davis and Rodriguez waiting in the wings, Hedges expressed his excitement to mentor them.

“Catching is my passion, so teaching it is one of my favorite things," Hedges said. "... That’s something that I look forward to doing for the rest of my life, helping out those young guys and teach them the things that I learned the hard way through failure and experience.”

Hedges said that his love of teaching derives from taking pride in being a leader. To Hedges, being a leader, being a teacher, requires both accountability and vulnerability.

“I’ve failed a lot in the big leagues," Hedges said. "I’ve hit under .200 multiple years, and that’s not the easiest thing to go through. But if I can show up and be the same guy every day, then it has a positive [effect] on my teammates to let them know that it’s OK, you can get through it.

“So from the teaching aspect, I think as a leader, [I’ve wanted to] help and [wanted] to speed up the learning curve for people that has been hard for myself. You don’t just learn the big leagues immediately. So if I can help speed that up -- it’s a passion of mine that will carry on even when I’m done playing.”

Davis and Rodriguez won’t be the only young players whom Hedges can help guide.

The Pirates’ starting rotation stands to feature Roansy Contreras (23 years old), Mitch Keller (27 in April), JT Brubaker (29), Vince Velasquez (30) and Johan Oviedo (25 in March). Luis Ortiz (24 in January) will contend for a rotation spot. Quinn Priester (22) and Mike Burrows (23), the Pirates’ No. 3 and No. 8 prospects per MLB Pipeline, will likely debut, too. With the Guardians, Hedges spent plenty of time with young hurlers.

Last season, Cleveland had baseball's youngest pitching staff (26.3 years on average). In Cleveland, Hedges learned what to do -- and what not to do -- to best assist the youth, and he plans to apply those lessons in Pittsburgh.

“A lot of things worked really well for Cleveland last year, but there were a lot of adjustments that, by the end of the year after reflecting, I know what could have made it even better,” Hedges said.

Hedges’ value primarily derives from his defense -- he leads all catchers with 75 defensive runs saved since he debuted in 2015 -- but he’s working to provide more offense.

Since 2020, Hedges has posted a .510 OPS with a 41 wRC+, both the lowest among all catchers (min. 500 plate appearances). This offseason, Hedges has worked with Driveline in Arizona, as well as the Titleist Performance Institute in San Diego, to help his swing.

“I’m just trying to take all the information I possibly can and suck it down into something that I can go trust and commit to for a full season,” Hedges said.