Yankees Catcher Dealing With Horrible Sophomore Slump

Austin Wells Stuck in Sophomore Slump at the Plate

Stepping Backwards

Last season, Wells caught fire towards the end of July and began a torrid streak that made it look like he was primed to break out into a star. Throughout July and August of 2024, he hit nine home runs with 29 RBI and an OPS of .938, which played a big part in helping New York turn their season around and beat out the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East title.

However, it’s not looking like this will be the case this season (and it’s not because the Orioles are dead last in the division). Wells put up slightly above-average numbers through the first half of this season, slashing .226/.284/.455 with 14 homers. But, in 16 games after the midway point, he’s hitting a measly .111 with 14 strikeouts. Every player is prone to slumping from time to time, but it’s even more unfortunate for Wells because of the lofty expectations that the Yankees had for him this season.

Stats Don’t Lie

Sometimes, underlying metrics can reveal whether or not a player is performing better than their stats show. For Wells, though, this is not the case. The 26-year-old has regressed in most offensive metrics, from walk rate (11.4% to 6.6%) to strikeout rate (21% to 24%) and sweet-spot percentage (34.5% to 30%). The only stats that have improved are his bat speed and hard-hit percentage, which could indicate a shift in his approach at the plate to a power-first mentality.

So, what could have happened to Wells for his bat to regress so drastically? Is it just a prolonged mental block, or have pitchers learned how to get him out and he hasn’t adjusted? It could be a combination of things going wrong for the young catcher, but in spite of everything that has gone wrong, he’s actually been one of the better defensive catchers in the game.

Defense First

The Yankees tend to prioritize defense over offense with their catchers, and it appears that Wells is no different. He currently ranks 7th in fielding run value amongst MLB catchers, and 4th in framing run value. So while he does make up for his lack of offense with stellar defense, there’s only so much that a catcher can do to justify keeping their bat in the lineup. So while Wells is becoming one of the league’s better defensive catchers, the Yankees have to be disappointed that he hasn’t taken that “next step” at the plate.

Hole in the Lineup

Because of Wells’ woes at the plate, manager Aaron Boone has begun to use Ben Rice as the team’s backup/platoon catcher. This could be an indication of Wells’ role shifting as the Yankees must start winning games to keep their playoff hopes alive, since Rice has been one of their better hitters and plays average defense. Though he is still young enough to improve, the Yankees have to be concerned about Wells. Hopefully, this slump of his is just a blip, and he will return to his late-2024 form, but right now, Austin Wells has been more of a liability than anything else at the plate.