New York Yankees Emerging Young Catcher Has ‘Room To Grow’ After First Full Season

A New York Yankees catcher is on the rise in the positional power rankings.

Feb 16, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) warms up during a spring training workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Arizona by the New York Yankees, catcher Austin Wells has been a highly-regarded prospect.

He was on top-100 lists for three years before graduating from prospect status in 2024 when he took over as the starter for the Big League team.

Wells performed well enough that he overtook Jose Trevino for the No. 1 spot and the team traded the veteran to the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason. He is now the unquestioned starter with an open competition being held for the backup spot behind him.

The Yankees threw a lot at the talented catcher in his first full season with the team and more often than not, he responded.

It was one of the major reasons that MLB insider Buster Olney of ESPN placed him so high on his catcher’s power rankings, as Wells landed in the No. 8 spot and is only scratching the surface of his potential.

“By the end of his first full regular season in the big leagues, Wells was among the leaders in the pitch framing metric, while bearing the responsibility of hitting behind Aaron Judge in the lineup. He finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. There is room to grow,” wrote Olney.

That elite defensive metric is gonig to ensure that Wells has a starting job for years to come. It is becoming more and more important that the catcher can steal some calls and help his pitching staff out.

If the bat continues coming along, which he showed real promise with collegiately and in the minor leagues, he is going to skyrocket up these rankings in the coming years.

Wells performing as well as he did at the Major League level was a present surprise. He moved through the system rapidly, playing only 291 minor league games; only 33 of them came at the Triple-A level.

That shows just how much confidence the organization has in him, as he will be catching a veteran staff in 2025. His role in the batting order is even more important as potential protection for Aaron Judge with Juan Soto no longer being in the mix as well.

The .229/.322/.395 slash line with a 103 OPS+ is likely the baseline of what his offensive production will be. He has some pop, with his 3.5% home run rate being slightly above average and has an excellent grasp of the strike zone.

Wells strikes out below league average and has an excellent eye with an 11.4% walk rate. That provides him with a really solid foundation at the plate with his ground ball rate and line drive rate heading in the right directions.

If he can add a little more loft to his swing and hit some more fly balls, especially at home, those power numbers will start to increase, taking advantage of the short porch in right field of Yankee Stadium.