Austin Wells

Wells had a breakout full season debut to the point where he was hitting cleanup for the Yankees down the stretch of the season. Wells had a history of strong strikezone judgement in the minors always willing to accept walks and pull homers, but his rookie debut in 2023 lacked the plate discipline. 2024 was a return to that discipline with stellar defense beind the plate led by stellar framing work. Wells did better at the plate as the season went on with a 113 wRC+ in the second half compared to a 97 wRC+ in the first half (100 is average.) 8 of his 13 homers came on the road, which dispels the assumption the lefty took advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium. The lefty did have extreme troubles against lefty pitchers though with a 59 wRC+. The Yankees did attempt to limit his exposure to lefties throughout the season, but 2 extra base hits in 77 plate appearances against lefties outlines the hard cap on Wells's upside. His defensive framing and blocking endears him to the pitchers, but overexposure to lefties will hurt his overall fantasy production. Wells is not another Matt Nokes, but there's also a case here where Wells follows a Kevin Maas path at the plate which was fun while it lasted. Read Past Outlooks