The Yankees didn’t just shake up the top of their lineup heading into the 2025 season—they took a full-blown gamble. Giving the leadoff job to a 25-year-old catcher who had never hit first in a professional game wasn’t just outside-the-box thinking—it was ripping the box open and setting it on fire. But one game into the season, it’s hard to argue with the results.
Austin Wells might just be the spark this offense needed.
A Surprise Rise to the Top
Heading into spring training, if you had to place odds on the Yankees’ leadoff man, the safe money was on Jazz Chisholm or Jasson Dominguez. Both had the speed, switch-hitting ability, and upside. Wells? He was expected to hold down the fort behind the plate and maybe slot into the lower third of the lineup.
But the bat forced the conversation.
Wells absolutely mashed his way through the spring—batting .348 with a .400 on-base percentage and slugging an outrageous .783. He crushed six home runs and drove in 12 runs across 16 games. Every time he stepped into the box, the ball jumped off his bat like it was looking for a seat in Monument Park.
So, manager Aaron Boone took a chance. And it didn’t take long for it to pay off.
A Fast Start in the Bronx
Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers, top of the first inning—Wells saw a high fastball and didn’t blink. He barreled it up and sent it soaring into the right-field seats. One swing. One run. A statement.
Wells finished the afternoon 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and an RBI. And more than the numbers, it was the feel of his at-bats. Confident, calm, ready to attack strikes.
This wasn’t some flash-in-the-pan performance. It looked like a continuation of the rhythm he found in spring training—and maybe the start of something bigger.
The Metrics Tell the Story
Wells isn’t your prototypical leadoff hitter, but that’s part of the intrigue. He doesn’t have elite speed, but he sees pitches. His chase rate ranked in the 70th percentile last season, and his walk rate landed in the 89th percentile—both elite traits for a table-setter.
Now he’s added muscle, refined his swing path, and the ball is flying off his bat with more consistency. That means when he does get a mistake pitch early in the count, he’s ready to make pitchers pay.
It’s a different look, but that’s what makes it so effective. It’s the curveball before the curveball.
Lefty Matchups Could Bring Tweaks
There’s still a question about how the Yankees will handle the leadoff spot against left-handed pitchers. Wells hit just .197 against lefties last year, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Paul Goldschmidt—who had a .366 OBP against lefties in 2024—slide up to the top of the order in certain matchups.
That flexibility, though, is a good problem to have. Boone can play the numbers and keep Wells in favorable spots while letting the rest of the order feed off his production.
Interestingly enough, Thursday marked a few historic footnotes: Wells became the first catcher in Yankees history to lead off a game, and if Goldschmidt ends up hitting leadoff at all this season, it would mark a first in his 14-year career.
- Yankees’ new lefty slugger shows insane upside in just 3 at-bats
- Yankees’ left-hander flashes gross ‘one-seam sinker’ in brilliant outing
- Yankees struck gold at the top of the batting order
A New Era of Yankees’ Lineup Creativity?
The Yankees aren’t just mixing up the lineup for the sake of it—they’re adapting. With Juan Soto gone, Giancarlo Stanton sidelined, and Aaron Judge shouldering another MVP-sized burden, this team is being built around efficiency and impact. Wells fits that mold perfectly at the top.
The numbers are early. The sample is small. But the Yankees rolled the dice, and Austin Wells might just be the best bet they’ve made in years.