How Yankees Could Have a Top 5 Catcher

The New York Yankees would love to see even more improvement from their catcher.

Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) celebrates after hitting an hits an RBI single during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The 2026 season is yet another year where the New York Yankees are operating with two left-handed catchers.

It's a decision that isn't exactly the wisest, but that doesn't mean it isn't effective.

Entering the 2026 season, ESPN's Buster Olney has Austin Wells ranked as the No. 8 catcher. There's certainly room for improvement, but being in the Top 10 is a great baseline.

With catchers like Cal Raleigh and Alejandro Kirk out there, it's going to be hard for Wells to reach the upper echelon. That said, there's no reason he can't surpass a couple of players and crack into the Top 5.

Austin Wells Quest to Being a Top 5 Catcher

Sep 23, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) reacts after hitting a RBI double against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

Currently Wells trails names like Shea Langeliers, Dillon Dingler, and William Contreras. It's not too hard to imagine him leapfrogging at least one of those names this year but he'll need to improve from a mediocre 2025.

Sure, Wells went form 13 home runs to 21 and added 16 extra RBIs, but he also walked 17 fewer times and struck out 31 more times. Keep in mind, Wells played 11 more games from 2024 to 2025 which turned into 47 more at-bats.

Seemingly every catcher other than Raleigh had a down year in 2025. Will Smith could be an exception to that, other than Kirk. Those are the clear-cut top trio, but the rest could see quite a bit of movement as Wells eyes a major increase in 2026.

Austin Wells Has Plenty of Room to Improve

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) and outfielder Cody Bellinger (35) shake hands following game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Wells slashed .219/.275/.712 a year ago with all three of those numbers being down from the year prior. Most of which were down significantly, though his .712 OPS was only slightly down from the .718 he had in 2024. Obviously, a major increase in home runs helped his case.

Framing wise Wells is as good as it gets, but it's going to take a lot more than his defensive abilities to make him a true Top 5 catcher. Offensively he was ice cold in a few major categories including K% and xBa.

With an xBa of .214, Wells found himself in the bottom 4% of the league. That number has seen a major decrease throughout the years as it sat at .276 in 2023 and was .242 in 2024.

A couple of key numbers to keep an eye on are Wells' exit velocity and launch angle. Both of those numbers were way up from the year prior and that led to a major increase in his HardHit%. Wells is going to continue hitting for power, but playing better small ball is step one of getting him to be more consistent and an all-around better player.

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