Subscribe
Follow Us
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells is putting together an unforgettable debut season. As the Yankees battle it out with the Baltimore Orioles for the American League East crown, Wells is taking on Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser for Rookie of the Year honors. Cowser became the betting favorite in a razor-thin race for AL ROY at the end of July.
Now, a little more than a month later, Wells has surpassed Cowser as the favorite to win the coveted award. The Yankees’ first-year backstop tops the Rookie of the Year odds at -140. Cowser is second at +135, while New York pitcher Luis Gil (+850) and Boston Red Sox’s outfielder Wilyer Abreu (+3200) round out the list, according to FanDuel, via Rotowire.
The Orioles selected Cowser with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft. After a brief stint with the big league club in 2023, the 24-year-old left-handed batter made an immediate impact in Baltimore this season. He got off to a hot start, setting an Orioles franchise record with 10 RBI against the Red Sox at Fenway in early April.
On the season he has 21 doubles, 20 home runs, 62 RBI and 70 runs scored with an OPS+ of 120 and 2.3 bWAR in 137 games for Baltimore. And the Orioles have needed every bit of Cowser’s production with injuries to key players Jorge Mateo, Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg.
Yankees catcher Austin Wells is the new frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year
Wells has also been a key contributor to his team’s postseason push. The Yankees took Wells 28th overall in the 2020 draft. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter had been splitting time with All-Star catcher Jose Trevino over the first half of the season. But things changed when the incumbent backstop missed more than a month of action on the injured list with a left quad strain.
The injury to Trevino marked a turning point in Wells’ season as he took over starting catching duties. While Trevino has returned from the IL, Wells hasn’t looked back as he puts together an excellent first-year campaign.
The Yankees catcher has a .780 OPS and an OPS+ of 118 with 16 doubles, 13 home runs, 49 RBI and 39 runs scored. In addition to his solid offensive production, Wells’ defense has helped him accumulate 2.7 bWAR in 100 games this season.
Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil had been considered a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors after an excellent first half. However, Gil experienced a decline in production as the season wore on and then hit the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain, which tanked his ROY chances..
Wells has consistently batted in the middle of a powerful Yankees lineup. Entering play on Tuesday New York is 22 games above .500 with the third-best record in baseball. The Yankees have a 1.5 game lead over the second-place Orioles in the AL East.
