Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Prospect Austin Wells Is Already Turning Heads At Spring Training

Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised first-rounder Austin Wells on Saturday, saying the prospect is "as strong as anyone in camp."

Max Goodman

Austin Wells is only a few days into his first Spring Training with a big-league club, but he's already making quite the impression.

Wells, who was picked in the first round of last year's MLB draft, reported to Yankees camp this week with the rest of New York's pitchers and catchers. 

Asked about Wells and what he's seen from the 21-year-old so far, Yankees manager Aaron Boone complimented the prospect, saying he's been impressed with the catcher's skills at the plate. 

"He can hit," Boone said in a Zoom call on Saturday. "We really like his swing and I think one of the things that stands out to me that I didn't necessarily know is how strong he is. He's as strong as anyone in camp."

Boone added that Wells has been having "advanced" conversations with New York's hitting coach Marcus Thames and assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere. 

"This is the guy that loves hitting," Boone explained. "I know Marcus is very excited to work with them and has really like what he's seen just in batting practice. Obviously this is a guy that came with a really strong offensive reputation and our early eyes on him confirm that."

Wells is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees organization by MLB Pipeline with an estimated arrival to the big-league level in 2023. Over two seasons at the University of Arizona, Wells hit .357 (99-for-277) with seven home runs and a .560 slugging percentage.

As much as he's still a few years away from debuting in pinstripes, it's certainly tempting to start to envision how his left-handed swing will fit in at Yankee Stadium. 

In the meantime, as you're dreaming about Wells slugging in the Majors, take a look at this video of the backstop taking some hacks in batting practice at Yankees camp:

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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