Room for Improvement: Austin Wells
In 2025, Austin Wells clocked his second straight season of at least 3.0 fWAR. In fact, it was exactly 3.0 fWAR. For a player in his second full season, that’s nothing to sneeze at. It was down slightly from 3.4 in 2024, but the numbers are close enough that it’s virtually the same season. Still, I can’t help but think that 2025 was a bit of a step back for Wells, at least at the plate. One number really jumps out at me that I don’t think I noticed fully during the year: .275. That number was Wells’ OBP in 2025, a dramatic difference from the .322 mark he posted in 2024.
Back in June, I took a look at the fact that Wells’ walk rate had plummeted and things didn’t really improve from there. His overall walk rate in 2025 was just 6.7, a drop of nearly five full percentage points while his strikeout rate rose to 26.3% overall, up from 21% in 2024. To his credit, he did balance the rise in strikeouts with a rise in power. Despite a low .219 batting average, Wells still managed to slug .436, good for a .217 ISO. For reference, that ISO was fifth among all catchers with at least 400 PA. If we adjust to performance as a catcher, so not including DH, PH, or other positional opportunities, his ISO actually goes up to .219, 4th among all catchers. I think we can live with a catcher hitting for that much power pretty much no matter what. However, that doesn’t preclude Wells from improving his walk rate and beefing up that ghastly .275 OBP.
Of course, the other usual caveat for a catcher applies: defense first. Wells is still a good defender, rated the fourth best framer in the Majors by FanGraphs. As long as he’s doing that, the Yankees can and will live with whatever offense he puts out, especially if there’s power in the approach. But a .275 OBP is a .275 OBP and Wells needs to improve that.
In the June post, I noted that Wells’ chase rate jumped up and that stayed consistent throughout the year. Overall, he chased at a rate of 29.3%. Unsurprisingly, Wells was unproductive on those pitches he chased, racking up a .080 wOBA (but an xwOBA of .096!). This would be the case for just about anyone, but it seems like an easy fix to help some of his production issues: avoid chasing so much!
Wells’ chase rate on offspeed pitches stayed relatively even from ‘24 to ‘25, but both breaking balls and fastballs saw a big jump in chase rate, which fueled the overall high chase rate. Recognizing those pitches better in 2026 will help him improve and make him even more valuable.
Of course we have to acknowledge that Wells made a big jump in first pitch swing percentage in 2025 from 2024, and overall, it was successful: a .496 wOBA. To me, that shows a concerted effort to change his approach a bit to prioritize power over patience. I get it, and it has value, but I can’t help but wonder if Wells and the Yankees would be better served if he found the more balanced approach he showed in 2024. Will Wells turn back the clock with some walks? Hopefully.