With the Yankees still trying to sort out their lineup order for the 2025 season, and while Aaron Judge at the two spot seems like a lock, who hits in front of him is far from obvious. Aaron Boone has experimented with the offense throughout Spring Training, and Austin Wells might force his way into the leadoff spot after the run he’s having in front of Judge. After launching his third home run of camp, the Yankees’ young catcher has galvanized the offense with his leadoff bombs, which could make him the perfect candidate for the leadoff spot.
The Yankees have never led off a catcher in a regular season game, but Austin Wells’ patient eye and eye-popping power could make him Aaron Boone’s best choice.
Austin Wells Could Be the Yankees’ Solution At the Leadoff Spot
The Yankees didn’t have an answer at the leadoff spot, but they may have found one with Austin Wells who has all of the skills to be the team’s new leadoff hitter. Last season Wells displayed a patient eye with good power, which could be very valuable for the Yankees especially when hitting in front of Aaron Judge. He ranked in the 70th Percentile in Chase% and the 89th Percentile in BB%, which could allow Wells to get on base and work walks at a decently high clip.
Furthermore, he finished in the 60th Percentile in Barrel% and pulled a lot of his flyballs, which could result in an onslaught of home runs if pitchers decide to attack him with fastballs early in the count. We’ve seen that very same phenomenon in Spring Training, as when he hits in front of Aaron Judge, pitchers have gone after Wells to their dismay.
When looking at the 45 pitches tracked by Statcast that Austin Wells has seen at the top of the lineup, 69% of them have been either a sinker, four-seamer, or cutter, which are all fastballs. Pitchers are trying to get ahead of the count and avoid giving a free pass up to Wells, which would set up Aaron Judge with a runner on first base. The way that Wells has handled that gameplan has been genius; punish those hittable pitches and send it over the fence for a leadoff bomb.
The Yankees could use an injection of power at the top of the lineup that can scare off pitchers and make them think twice about pitching right to Austin Wells. They may find themselves adopting a more cautious approach, and that’s where Wells’ patient eye can play a big part in setting up Aaron Judge for a two-run bomb. It’s a lot easier to walk Judge when no one is on first versus when the walk pushes a runner to scoring position, and that could help avoid situations where the two-time MVP can get the bat in his hands for big moments.
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Aaron Judge was pitched around a lot during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and Juan Soto served the role of giving pitchers a horrible choice between pitching to the best left-handed hitter in the game and the best right-handed hitter in the game. Now, the Yankees will have to figure out a way to force pitchers to go after Judge, and having a stable leadoff hitter could help remedy those issues.
The Yankees won’t know what Austin Wells can do at the leadoff spot until the games start mattering, but the early results have been encouraging. The profile he has at the plate is also perfect for the role, and his 105 wRC+ was below what the expected numbers suggested that Wells should have put up in 2024. In a full-time catching role and a full season of development under his belt, this could be a big year for the AL Rookie of the Year finalist.
It could also allow the team to push Cody Bellinger to the third spot of the lineup, where his contact abilities and pull-happy swing can bring some firepower to the middle of the offense. Sandwiching Judge between two lefties will also force teams to use fewer right-handed pitchers, which may present an issue for Wells but will result in some nightmarish matchups for opposing managers as they can’t go to a down-and-away breaking ball against a hitter who has virtually no weaknesses.