Yankees' Prospect Austin Wells Is Already Turning Heads At Spring Training
Austin Wells is only a few days into his first Spring Training with a big-league club, but he's already making quite the impression.
Wells, who was picked in the first round of last year's MLB draft, reported to Yankees camp this week with the rest of New York's pitchers and catchers.
Asked about Wells and what he's seen from the 21-year-old so far, Yankees manager Aaron Boone complimented the prospect, saying he's been impressed with the catcher's skills at the plate.
"He can hit," Boone said in a Zoom call on Saturday. "We really like his swing and I think one of the things that stands out to me that I didn't necessarily know is how strong he is. He's as strong as anyone in camp."
Boone added that Wells has been having "advanced" conversations with New York's hitting coach Marcus Thames and assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere.
"This is the guy that loves hitting," Boone explained. "I know Marcus is very excited to work with them and has really like what he's seen just in batting practice. Obviously this is a guy that came with a really strong offensive reputation and our early eyes on him confirm that."
Wells is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees organization by MLB Pipeline with an estimated arrival to the big-league level in 2023. Over two seasons at the University of Arizona, Wells hit .357 (99-for-277) with seven home runs and a .560 slugging percentage.
As much as he's still a few years away from debuting in pinstripes, it's certainly tempting to start to envision how his left-handed swing will fit in at Yankee Stadium.
In the meantime, as you're dreaming about Wells slugging in the Majors, take a look at this video of the backstop taking some hacks in batting practice at Yankees camp:
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