Yankees' Catching Duo Shining in Spring Training
Although the New York Yankees have a few positions that are question marks, the catcher position doesn't appear to be one of them.
Thanks to the return of Jose Trevino from injury, the Bronx Bombers will roll with a catching tandem of Trevino and Austin Wells, the latter of which is entering his rookie season. This duo has both offensive and defensive upside, as Trevino is a renowned defender who has a knack for delivering timely hits, and Wells has drawn praise for his hitting prowess while continually improving his defense every game.
Wells, in particular, has looked excellent in spring training so far. In nine games and 21 at-bats, he has a .286/.375/.667 slash line, two doubles and home runs each, eight RBI, and a 1.042 OPS. He has played eight games behind the plate, and has yet to commit an error or allow a passed ball.
On Sunday and Monday's spring training games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees got a taste of what could be coming during the regular season, with excellent performances from both Yankees catchers.
Trevino made his spring debut on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, and it was business as usual for him defensively; he even foiled a stolen base attempt for good measure. However, he also had a good game offensively by going 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored in three plate appearances.
After hitting a sacrifice fly in his first plate appearance and a hard-hit single in his second, Trevino finished his day with a bang. Facing reliever Dylan Lee (who pitched in 70 games over the past two seasons for the Braves), he swung at a down-and-in slider and scooped it into the left field corner, where it stayed fair for a home run. Although the homer only had a 95 mph exit velocity, it was impressive to see Trevino go yard on a difficult-to-hit pitch that was out of the strike zone.
Trevino would get a day off on Monday's split-squad set, but Wells would play in Tampa for the home squad against the Baltimore Orioles (the road squad would travel to Clearwater to play the Philadelphia Phillies). In his first plate appearance and the bases loaded, Wells punished a Julio Teheran changeup and drove it 385 feet to left-center field with a 104.3 mph exit velocity; the ball bounced off the wall for a bases-clearing double. He finished the day by going 1-for-2 with a walk and three RBI, and got to show off his arm behind the plate by throwing out a runner at second base.
Over Sunday and Monday's games, Trevino and Wells combined to go 3-for-4 in six plate appearances with five RBI and two extra-base hits (one from each), while both caught a runner stealing. Considering how much the Yankees will depend on the duo this year, they should be pleased with these early results.
