The Yankees took left-handed hitting catcher Austin Wells out of Arizona with the 28th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
Wells was the 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. He was hitting .375 with two home runs, six doubles, and 17 walks over his first 15 games this year. The season was then cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Yankees have had Wells on their radar for a couple of years. They previously drafted him in the 35th round of the 2018 draft out of high school. Wells, at the time, decided to honor his commitment to Arizona.
Wells was the No. 27 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Baseball America has him ranked at No. 21.
Wells has left-handed power which should play well at Yankee Stadium.
This was a crucial pick for the Yankees, partly due to not having a second or fifth rounder this year. Those picks were included, last winter, in the signing of free agent Gerrit Cole.
The Yankees may or may not have found their potential successor to Gary Sanchez. Wells projects as average behind the plate but has played the outfield and first base. It’s his bat which will get him to the show.
Here’s more on Wells and his powerful left-handed swing straight from his scouting report on MLB.com:
There is no question that Wells’ bat plays. The left-handed hitter has power to all fields, with good timing and a simple setup at the plate. He has strength and bat speed and controls the bat head well to make loud contact. He does strike out a bit, but he also draws a lot of walks. There are more concerns about where he might play defensively. He’s adequate behind the plate, and while his arm stroke and release are fine, his throws are inconsistent. He is a decent enough athlete to play first or figure things out in left field.
A team taking Wells with its first pick might want to send him out as a catcher until he proves he can’t play the position. His bat should play regardless of his eventual defensive position and he could end up following a Kyle Schwarber type path to the big leagues.
Across town, the Mets grabbed outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong with the No. 19 overall pick.
