Even as the Corona Virus halted baseball in 2020, the MLB Draft still went on as Arizona catcher Austin Wells was selected in the round on Wednesday!
It was a brief career for Arizona Baseball catcher Austin Wells, but it was an incredibly productive one, as the Las Vegas native and former Bishop Gorman star was selected in the first round by the New York Yankees in the 2020 MLB Draft.
Since arriving in Tucson, Austin was bound to be a star. Originally selected by the New York Yankees in the 35th round of the MLB Draft, he will reunite with Yankees again! Wells burst onto the scene for the Cats in 2019, hitting .353 with five home runs and 60 RBI’s en route to being selected as the Conference Player of the Year, and being a freshman All-American.
Arizona Wildcats
And big things were certainly on the horizon as the then Draft Eligible Sophomore took to the diamond this season. However, we all saw how things got cut short for the Wildcats and Wells as the growing concern Covid put a halt on the season.
Despite appearing in just 15 games, Austin still dominated the diamond, hitting an impressive .375 from the plate, hitting two home runs and 14 RBI’s. Oh, what could have been this season!
Nonetheless, even though we saw limited action from Austin this year, the x saw enough in him as they felt he was worthy enough to be drafted with the No. 28 overall pick!
As Austin’s career officially comes to an end, his professional career will soon start, just as soon as Baseball is able to return safely amid the Corona Virus.
He will certainly have a big future though as Austin oozes potential.
According to Doug Gray of Reds Minor Leagues, here’s what he has to say about Wells:
"With Austin Wells it all starts with the bat. He’s got an above-average hit tool and he’s got above-average to plus raw power. The draft eligible sophomore has performed well in the Pac 12 and crushed the ball out in the Cape Cod League – two leagues where good performances go a long way in the eyes of scouts. An advanced approach, he uses the entire field and the power plays now from foul pole to foul pole.Defensively is where you run into a lot of different opinions. Some believe he can remain at catcher long term, though he’ll need to spend time working on it. Others don’t think he’s got enough there to remain at the spot and will need to move to first or the outfield. But even among that group there are some questions about just how much he can play those positions – though some are more confident that he can handle the outfield fine.As a catcher he used to show much stronger pop times than he does today. He’s dealt with some arm injuries since high school and the arm now grades out below-average. His receiving, blocking, and throwing skills all need improving if he’s going to remain behind the plate."
Either way, we know Austin is going to continue to excel and the X certainly got a good one! Best of luck Austin and Bear Down always!