Austin Wells is having a remarkable rookie season as the New York Yankees backstop. Wells is neck-and-neck with Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser in the American League Rookie of the Year race. As the two teams battle it out for AL East supremacy, Wells has turned it on at the plate, helping lift the Yankees to a lead in the division.
After an adjustment period at the major league level, the first-year player figured things out offensively. The key for Wells? Going “balls to the wall,”
“I think at the beginning of the year I was still trying to figure out the not playing every single day kinda thing because in the minor leagues, I played every day. So it was an adjustment for me. And then when unfortunately Jose [Trevino] got hurt… I kinda said like ‘screw it.’ Just kinda [went] balls to the wall I guess,” Wells said via Foul Territory on X.
Wells had been splitting time with Gold Glove winning catcher Jose Trevino over the first half of the season. However, Trevino landed on the 10-day injured list with a left quad strain on July 13. He missed more than a month of action and in that time Wells rose to the occasion becoming the Yankees everyday catcher.
Trevino made his sole career All-Star Game in his first season in New York in 2022. The Yankees brought him back from the IL on August 16. But the Bombers recognize they have something special in Wells, who offers more offensive production than the incumbent catcher.
Yankees’ Austin Wells figured things out at the plate
Wells has 16 doubles, 13 home runs, 49 RBI and 39 runs scored with a .780 OPS and an OPS+ of 118 in 100 games for the Yankees so far this season. He’s up to 2.7 bWAR thanks to his offensive prowess and solid defense behind the plate.
Trevino has an OPS+ of 90 and 0.6 bWAR in 67 games this season. The seven-year veteran topped out at 11 home runs in 115 games during his 2022 campaign. Wells has already surpassed that total in fewer games in his rookie season.
Wells has a chance to win AL Rookie of the Year honors this season. Fellow Yankee Luis Gil had been the most likely New York player to win the coveted award after a hot start but Gil faded a bit down the stretch and landed on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain. Gil has returned to the team but his ROY odds took a hit.
Orioles outfielder Cowser became the AL Rookie of the Year betting favorite at the beginning of August. As of last week, the top five American League candidates for the award are Gil (+10000), Detroit Tigers’ second baseman Colt Keith (+8500), Red Sox’s outfielder Wilyer Abreu (+2500), Wells (+210) and Cowser (-300), via FanDuel per MLB.com.
As for Wells, the pressure lifted when he was forced into the starting role following Trevino’s injury. “It kinda just took all of the weight off me and [I] just kinda went balls to the wall honestly,” he said via Foul Territory.
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