Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Slugger 'Closing The Gap' For Prestigious Award

One vital piece to the Yankees' puzzle has entered a prestigious AL award race.
Grant Young|
Sep 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (right) and center fielder Aaron Judge (left) laugh at home plate as they both score on a ground rule double hit by first baseman Anthony Rizzo (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Sep 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (right) and center fielder Aaron Judge (left) laugh at home plate as they both score on a ground rule double hit by first baseman Anthony Rizzo (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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New York YankeesBaltimore Orioles

While many expected Yankees rookie catcher Austin Wells to be a future impact player for New York, few predicted he'd become such an integral part of the club in his first MLB season.

Entering Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs, Wells was hitting .252 with a .775 OPS, 12 home runs, and 44 RBIs. And his impact isn't solely at the plate. Baseball Savant proves that Wells has been one of baseball's elite defensive catchers this season, with his Fielding Run Value of 11 putting him in the 94th percentile among MLB backstops.

This is why it's little surprise that the 25-year-old has become part of the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year conversation. In fact, some believe that Wells is closing in on the award.

In a September 6 article, CBS Sports' Matt Snyder wrote, "Colton Cowser of the Orioles looks like the leader [for AL Rookie of the Year]. In 484 plate appearances, he has 21 doubles, 20 homers, 62 RBI, 68 runs, a 120 OPS+ and 2.3 WAR. It isn't quite the flashy field like over in the National League, but Cowser has certainly had a very good rookie season worth praise."

Snyder then continued, saying, "Austin Wells has taken over as the Yankees' catcher and is hitting .251/.341/.433 (117 OPS+) with 2.5 WAR. He's only played in 96 games (341 plate appearances), though.

"He could end up closing the gap with a hot finish, but I feel like Cowser is the man to beat right now."

So while Wells may not be the AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner right now, if he finishes the regular season in great form then he may have done enough to earn some prestigious hardware.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung

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