Austin Wells Signs With New York
The team that wears the pinstripes chose a catcher in the first round of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft.
Who is he?
His name is Austin Wells . He was selected as the 28th pick out of Arizona in this years draft. “according to an article by Bryan Hoch on mlb.com
As a freshman at Arizona Austin Wells was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year; first Arizona player to earn the award...First-Team Freshman All-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, and Perfect Game/Rawlings...Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention...Played in and started all 56 games as a freshman; first Arizona freshman to start in every game since 2013 (Kevin Newman, 55 games)...Hit .353 (78x221) with 73 runs scored, 15 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, and 60 RBI...Registered a .462 on-base percentage and a .552 slugging percentage...Set Arizona freshman records in runs scored and OBP...Set Arizona freshman conference play records with 39 runs scored, six triples, 34 RBI, 23 walks, a .597 slugging percentage, and a .465 on-base percentage...Became the only Wildcat freshman (1976-current) with at least 60 runs and 60 RBI in a single season...Led the team, the Pac-12, and all Division I freshmen with 73 runs scored...Reached base safely in 28 straight games from February 23 - April 14; hit .371 (39x105) with 33 runs, eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, 23 RBI, and 22 walks during that stretch...Ranked second on the team with 24 multi-hit games and ranked fourth on the squad with 16 multi-RBI performances...Drove in two RBI six times, three RBI six times, four RBI twice, and five RBI twice...Hit a home run in his first collegiate at-bat, becoming the first Arizona player to do so since Jon Gaston accomplished the feat on February 3, 2006...Went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, one triple, one home run, and three RBI on April 5 against Washington...Went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, one double, one home run, and five RBI on May 17 at Penn State.”according to https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/baseball/roster/austin-wells/10796
As a sophomore Austin Wells started all 15 games, .Earned recognition on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award watch list...Hit .375 (21x56) with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs, and 14 RBI...Drew more walks (17) than strikeouts (14) on the way to posting a .527 on-base percentage...Led or tied for the team lead in hits (21), doubles, total bases (33), slugging percentage (.589), walks, and on-base percentage...Notched first career Pac-12 Player of the Week award on Feb. 18 after hitting .545 (6-for-11) with four runs, four doubles, one home run, and eight RBI over the opening week of play...Put together six multi-hit performances and four multi-RBI games...Collected a season-best four hits on March 7 vs. Houston (4x5)...Logged time on defense at catcher (12 games) and left field (1 game) while also serving as the designated hitter twice...Boasted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage over a team-leading 121 chances...Allowed just one passed ball while serving as the team's every day cat. https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/baseball/roster/austin-wells/10796
Austin Wells was ranked as this year's No. 27 Draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, Wells was torching opposing pitching when the coronavirus pandemic halted play in mid-March. He followed a standout Cape Cod League campaign by batting .375/.527/.589 with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games as a sophomore, working more walks (17) than strikeouts (14) while earning Second Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball. “according to an article by Bryan Hoch on yankees.com
Though, Austin Wells was drafted as a catcher in this years Major League Baseball Draft. Is it possible that he could play another position at the minor league level and major league level once he gets there? That is a possibility. Why? The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Wells has been compared to the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber, who started his career behind the plate but has played most of his big league career in the outfield. “according to an article by Bryan Hoch on mlb.com
Recently Austin Wells officially signed with the team that wears the pinstripes as he agreed to a $2.5 million contract, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis -- slightly above the $2,493,900 slot value assigned to the 28th selection. “according to an article by Bryan Hoch on mlb.com