Yankees Catcher Determined to Regain His Throne

The gaze of leadership is in the eyes. The boy who would be king came out of the desert of Nevada, born to two retired rice farmers. He had the athletic gifts of power and smarts. The position of catcher is the only one where one can see the entire game in front of them. Austin Wells has assumed the professional crouch since his early days at Bishop Gorman High School, a Roman Catholic institution. This prep school was named by USA Today and Sports Illustrated as one of the top thousand high school athletic programs in the country. This key credential was the first clue that pointed to a baseball future. 

He caught the attention of the New York Yankees, who drafted him in the first round of the 2020 season. The boy, many claimed, was wise beyond his years and took only three seasons to make it to the big show. The power stroke was made to order for Yankee Stadium. He framed the ball as well as anyone in MLB. He had a good arm and was very athletic and fast for a catcher. The 2025 Yankees experimented with an idea and started Wells at the lead-off spot to start the season, and he proceeded to hit a home run, something no catcher had ever done. The experiment ended with no explanation.

Austin's career has been a series of stops and starts. He was given the position of top dog at catcher when Jose Trevino was traded. However, Wells' streaky batting has caused him to lose his grasp on the position that was his. In 2025, whispers of nerve damage in his hands were stated as the reason for his slow start. However, it was revealed to be an artery damage in his left index finger caused by the impact of catching balls. It has contributed to lost playing time. Yet, he has made the adjustments and is back in the lineup.

This setback was another in a series of challenges to the man who had previously suffered similar setbacks in the past. The measure of the heart is in the eyes. Austin changed career directions, but made them work for him as he made the best of every situation. In his high school senior season, he injured the elbow on his throwing arm, which needed surgery. The Yankees drafted him in 2018, but Wells chose to go to college at Arizona. He emerged as a force in Baseball America's second-team preseason All-American. In his second season, the coronavirus pandemic ended his season prematurely, but he impressed enough to be drafted a second time by the Yankees in a higher position this time, as he was given a signing bonus as well. He broke a rib in 2023 in Spring Training. He didn't let that derail him as he was promoted to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Wells has the pornstache that resembles former Yankee captain Thurman Munson, and Wells is just as tough. The happy-go-lucky Yankees under Aaron Boone have been distracted from this fact as he celebrates like a kid and makes mental errors on the basepaths. However, something came over Wells when his throne was handed to another, Ben Rice, to share. A sense of urgency has manifested in big and small ways. It appeared first in the second game against the Chicago White Sox when he hit a big home run in the seventh, breaking a 1-1 tie, helping top clinch two of three against Chicago. Wells entered the dugout and ignored the group dance, instead barrelling through teammates. He yelled loudly and slapped hands with an intensity never seen before. 

The next instance was in the middle game against the Toronto Blue Jays when Cody Bellinger threw out Bo Bichette with a rocket throw from right. Wells has shown a weakness in reeling in throws at the plate to stop scoring runners. However, an adjustment was made, and a physical tag resulted in a collision with Bichette, and when the dust settled, it was Bo who left with an ankle injury. The third example confirmed Wells is on a mission. In the final game of the Toronto series, the Yankees, unsure after blowing an early 3-0 lead with Max Fried on the mound, were clinging to a 4-3 lead in the ninth. Wells threw a crucial sidearm throw in the ninth to catch Nathan Lukes and remove the on-base threat, leading to a much-needed win. He then just stood staring coldly in Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s direction for a few seconds before acknowledging a great tag. Austin is hungry to regain his catcher's throne and may just be emerging as a leader, something he has always been. An old soul in a young man's body, looking at the total game with the eyes of experience beyond his years, ready to take the lead.