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Yankees Expect Young Catcher to Make Big Impact in Second Year

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kristie Ackert | Last updated Jan 14, 2025 11:25 AM ET

Matt Blake wasn't happy that the New York Yankees traded away a trusted catcher and leader last month. The Yankees pitching coach loved Trevino's Platinum Glove behind the plate and how he guided the pitchers through games.

But Blake feels the Yankees will be in good hands even after Trevino was sent to the Cincinnati Reds with Austin Wells taking over.

"Yeah, he's been tremendous," Blake said on MLB Network Radio." "And obviously, Trevy had a huge hand in that too. I mean, (Trevino) one of the best back there, just managing the game, some of the leadership stuff behind the scenes in our classroom environment. But Wellsy has come up, and he's got a great personality. He's got confidence. He does a nice job of creating buy-in with the pitchers in that they know he's done his homework. Obviously, he's grown a lot behind the plate from the time we drafted him to where he is now."

The Yankees sent Trevino, an All-Star in 2022, to the Reds for right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and journeyman catcher Alex Jackson.

When he was drafted in 2020, most experts felt Wells could not stick as a catcher. Not only has he stayed at the position, but last season, according to Baseball Savant, he was in the top 96 percentile among catchers in fielding run value and framing pitches. However, he also led the majors in errors (11) by a catcher.

Wells' lefty bat is a significant upgrade over Trevino at the plate. He hit 13 homers and had a .229/.322/.395 slash line and a .718 OPS in 115 games last season.

Blake, interviewed on the network's "Loud Outs" show, believes Wells will be a good catcher.

"He put up one of the better years back there, as far as receiving goes. And I think it's a testament to the work that he puts in," Blake said. "But I am really excited to see how he keeps growing back there."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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