The Yankees have history with Austin Wells, their first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. In 2018, he entered the draft out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, but an elbow injury had kept him from playing behind the plate his senior year and he fell to the Yankees in the 35th round.
Wells chose to go to the University of Arizona, where both of his parents had attended as student athletes as well. There, he hit .357/.476/.560 in 71 games between his freshman season and his pandemic-shortened sophomore season. Wells hit .308/.389/.526 with seven home runs in the Cape Cod league in 2019, winning the Outstanding Pro Prospect Award after 46 games.
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Because he will turn 21 in July, Wells was eligible to re-enter the draft after his sophomore year. This time, he didn’t have to wait for 1,056 players to be drafted ahead of him. The Yankees took him in the first round of the shortened five-round draft, 28th overall.
The Yankees have $3.7 million in bonus money to spend during this draft. The slot value for the 28th overall pick this year is $2.49 million.
“We are very happy to get Austin Wells today,” said Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees VP of domestic amateur scouting. “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.”
In a year when college and high school seasons were shortened due to the pandemic, history with a player and a strong scouting presence in the summer and fall of 2019 were especially valuable. While the league has been shut down, scouts have not been allowed to meet with players in-person, either to see them take a round of batting practice or conduct home visits. Scouting over the last three months has been heavily reliant on player-submitted video in the absence of the traditional spring leadup to the draft.
The Yankees have taken catchers early in the draft three straight years now. Anthony Seigler was their first-round pick in 2018, and Josh Breaux was their second-round pick in 2018.
Wells’ hit tool is well-regarded, but his defense behind the plate leads to many evaluators foreseeing him moved off of the position at some point in pro ball. According to the Tuscon Star, Wells allowed 10 passed balls in 262 innings as a freshman, though he only allowed one in 100 innings his sophomore year. Evaluators also think highly of Wells’ maturity and makeup.
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“I’m a catcher, and I want to be a catcher,” Wells said on a conference call Thursday. “I know I’m definitely willing to do whatever it takes to get to the big leagues. If that’s at another position, then I’ll just hit home runs at Yankee Stadium and play wherever they need me to.”
In response to the pandemic, this year’s draft was shortened to five rounds from 40, with undrafted players becoming eligible to sign as free agents for a maximum $20,000 signing bonus. Because of the limited number of premium picks through the draft this year, teams leaned toward signing college players in the first round rather than high-upside but 18-year-old high school players.
The Yankees have $3.7 million in bonus money to spend during this draft. The slot value for the 28th overall pick this year is $2.49 million. The draft continues Thursday with rounds two through five.
(Photo of Wells from 2017: Josh Holmberg / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)