The Pinstriped Baseball Lane

If you missed it, the Bronx Bombers wasted no time to cash in on the 2020 MLB Draft by acquiring another catcher.

Yesterday evening marked the second time in three years that the Yankees have called Wells’ name, having tabbed him in the 35th round out of high school in 2018. Wells opted to honor his collegiate commitment and, after refining his game with the Wildcats, the 20-year-old was rated among the nation’s top prospects as he reentered the mix as a Draft-eligible sophomore.

Now in this pandemically fractured baseball season, the New York Yankees finally get their man. As Brian Cashman has frequently said that he subscribes to the organizational mindset of featuring “a strong spine” up the middle, a belief that was instilled in him by the legendary Gene Michael. That means focusing on catchers, middle infielders and center fielders, as well as strong pitching. So we saw last night that Cashman did follow the advice of Gene Michael, as the Yankees locked up another catcher to add to their farm system.

Aside from the Cole signing, I guess that Hal Steinbrenner will not steer away from his original mentality of wanting to grow the ballclub from within.

Quite frankly, I have no problem with the youth aspect to the Yankees. I like the pop that they bring to the Yankees organization. Also our major league roster is stalked with righty power strokes, aside from the bats of left handed hitting Brett Gardner and switching Aaron Hicks, Austin Wells would add stability to the lineup. I know that Yankee Stadium is a hotspot for right handed bats, but once Wells breaks into the majors, I believe he would serve as an asset to the team in other major league parks.

Yesterday evening, vice president Damon Oppenheimer said, “We are very happy to get Austin Wells today…” As the Yankees’ vice president of domestic amateur scouting, he added that, “…We thought he was one of the top hit and power combinations in the Draft. We love his desire and makeup, along with his athleticism. We have known him for years and seen him progress quite a bit behind the plate to allow us to believe he can be an impact guy.” 

Watching the Draft last night, I am glad to know that the Yankees were tracking Wells for a while. To hear him be compared to current stars like Bryce Harper and others raises my interests in him.

Ranked as this year’s No. 27 Draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, Wells was torching opposing pitching when the coronavirus pandemic halted play in mid-March. In the words of Bryan Hoch, “He followed a standout Cape Cod League campaign by batting .375/.527/.589 with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games as a sophomore, working more walks (17) than strikeouts (14) while earning Second Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.”

I think this draft pick will work out for the Bronx Bombers, especially with his extensive track record.

Honored in 2019 as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year — the first in Arizona’s history — and the Cape Cod League’s Outstanding Pro Prospect after starring with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, Wells impresses with all-fields power that earned him a place on the Buster Posey Award watch list alongside some of the nation’s top backstops.

“Austin is a special player, has all the tools to be an impact Major League player, and has an intense desire to help his team win,” Arizona head coach Jay Johnson said. “His ability is matched with an elite work ethic and capability to prepare that rivals any player in the country.”

As far as Draft Tracking, Hoch gave an analysis of the Arizona draft pick.

“Wells was eligible for this Draft because he will turn 21 within 45 days of the MLB Draft. The No. 28 selection carries a slot value of $2,493,900, and the Yankees’ total assigned bonus pool is $3,520,000….”

Since Wells is being compared to the Cubs’ star and knowing that Kyle Schwaber has developed into a great athletes for the Cubs, it should be interesting to see how Wells blossoms into an extraordinary player for the Yankees.

Hoch also said, ” Though Wells was identified as a catcher when the Yankees’ selection was announced, it is possible that his future could involve a position switch. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Wells has been compared to the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber, who started his career behind the plate but has played most of his big league career in the outfield…”

It is also notable that Wells is listed at almost the same height and weight as the Yankees’ current starting catcher, Gary Sánchez.

Ultimately, Wells’ bat is what appealed most to the Yanks’ scouts. The club selected him in 2018 despite a right elbow injury that prevented him from catching during his senior season at Bishop Gorman High (Nevada) — a school that counts Rangers All-Star Joey Gallo and 1995 American League Rookie of the Year Marty Cordova among its alumni.

Now the Yankees have two catchers to back Sanchez, as Kyle Higashioka is a righty and now they obtained a lefty to man the position. Talk about versality and depth. I definitely can’t wait for baseball to start up again.