Key Part of Yankees' Austin Well's Game Being Overlooked

When Austin Wells first broke into the league, the thought was that his offense would be his calling card. At least, that was the case when the New York Yankees first called him up in 2023, in a series against the Houston Astros. It was his defense that was considered the big question.

What has happened, though, is that Wells' glove has been the superior part of his game, while he hasn't been consistent enough at the plate. Across 937 plate appearances in the big leagues, Wells has hit .224/.294/.423 with a 100 wRC+. He has 38 homers and 139 RBI.

Thankfully, Wells' defense has become his calling card. Wells had a 95th percentile 12 Fielding Run Value in 2025. His 12 Framing Runs Saved were in the 96th percentile in the league. The year before, Wells had 11 Framing Runs Saved. His framing was in the 93rd percentile that year.

Wells has been such a prolific catcher behind the plate that he has accumulated 6.5 WAR over his last two seasons, according to Fangraphs. That's with just a 107 wRC+ in 2024 and a 94 wRC+ in 2025.

That 3.5 WAR he tallied in 2024, the year the Yankees won the pennant, came with limited playing time as well. He did it in 414 plate appearances.

Last season, Wells saw limited playing time, too. The 3 WAR he accumulated was in 448 plate appearances, but he was benched for teammate Ben Rice after struggling to start the season.

Wells on his Defense

Wells may have proven those detractors wrong, but he hasn't been so harsh on them. In fact, he agrees with scouts who said he'd be a slugging-first backstop, whose glove had holes.

"I think the measurable skills as a catcher I was terrible," Wells said, according to NJ.com's Randy Miller. "I was not good at framing, probably below average blocking. I was OK throwing."

One person Wells credits for the defensive aspect of his game is catching instructor Tanner Swanson.

"Coming to the Yankees, their thing is framing," Wells told Miller. "They've been the best in the league since 2019, probably since as long as they go back (charting it). So they were able to work with me a ton. They built my framing from a one-knee-down setup into everything that I am now, and we're always looking to do more and get better. I think my drive to want to be great at the position fueled me. And then their accountability, always staying on me and pushing me to be better, that perfect combo has helped me be where I am."

Wells in 2026

Wells is likely to stick around because of his defense, but if his offense finally comes around as predicted by scouts for years, he could rise as one of the most well-rounded catchers in the league. Outside of guys like Cal Raleigh, few would be better.

This season, Wells is projected to hit .229/.301/.423 with a 102 wRC+, according to Steamer. He is also projected for 16 homers. Being slightly above average at the plate is an improvement, but Wells is probably hoping for a little more than that in his third big league season as a full-time player.

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