Yankees' Catcher Makes World Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team

New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells drew a ton of attention to himself this spring.

The 26-year old still has a bit to prove with the Yankees, but he left it all on the line in the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic.

Yankees fans know what Wells is capable of, it's just a matter of when he's going to truly reach his full potential.

After five games in the WBC, it's clear Wells is better than he's ever been. The catcher was a lock to make the All-Tournament team, a move that further solidifies him as a foundation of this Yankees squad that eyes another World Series appearance.

Wells OPS in WBC: 1.086

Austin Wells was named to the All-Tournament Team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/ZtiMyqZniw
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 18, 2026

The lefty hit .267 in five games but the highlight was a stellar home run against Korea in the quarter-finals. That three-run shot accounted for a trio of his five RBIs in a five-game sample size.

Wells had a .733 slugging percentage that turned into an astonishing 1.086 OPS. Slowly but surely he's been adding more power to this Yankees lineup. After hitting 17 home runs in his first 134 at-bats in 2023-24, he smashed 21 last year for a new career high.

New York has a pair of lefty catchers which is far from ideal, but they continue to get the job done. The Dominican Republic squad may not have lived up to their expectations this year, but Wells sure did and that's all Yankees fans care about, and rightfully so.

Only Yankees Player Named to All-Tournament Team

The 2026 World Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team pic.twitter.com/fPGIFJd1Sr
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) March 18, 2026

The Yankees had players like outfielder Aaron Judge and pitcher David Bednar represent Team USA in the championship game but even with those extra games it still wasn't enough for them to crack the All-Tournament team. Other notable players included were: Shohei Ohtani, Paul Skenes, Roman Anthony, and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Keep in mind, Wells hasn't ever had an OPS north of .742 in his career and that number came with just 70 at-bats. His OPS has been above .700 in both of his 115+ game seasons, but there's still a vast difference for what he did in the WBC compared to what he's done in the MLB.

It seems like Wells is continuing to find his footing as he works on a few things when it comes to his offense. That's music to the Yankees ears as they took a major gamble this offseason by "running it back", but results like this won't leave them with any regrets.

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