Wells' hard work earning praise from one of the best
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TAMPA, Fla. -- Gerrit Cole is an admitted perfectionist, which means that he can be demanding on catchers, especially younger ones. That’s a challenge that Austin Wells says he welcomes.
As Wells eyes his first full season in the Majors, the 24-year-old looks forward to pairing with the American League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner under the bright lights. The building blocks of that relationship are already being set, one spring bullpen at a time.
“I started last year, just picking his brain, making sure to be as attentive as possible when he’s pitching,” Wells said. “Then into this spring, same thing; just trying to understand why he’s throwing what pitches in certain counts and trying to get a feel for that.”
Last season, Cole paired with three catchers over his 33 starts, seeing the most time with Jose Trevino (18) and Ben Rortvedt (13). Cole worked sparingly with Kyle Higashioka (3), who was traded to the Padres in the Juan Soto deal on December 6.
Though manager Aaron Boone said the exact splits of the catching workload are yet to be determined, Trevino and Wells are the odds-on favorites to head north with the big club, with the left-handed-hitting Wells providing a platoon complement to Trevino.
That sounds like it would work for Cole, who asked Boone to pair him with Wells early in camp. Cole said that Wells’ game-calling seemed “exceptional” after his promotion to the big leagues when rosters expanded in September.
“He came right in against the Astros, and we won the series in Houston, and he caught all the games,” Cole said. “He’s obviously really intelligent, and physically, he looks solid. He’s a good catcher. I would say [Wells’ game-calling] is a little advanced, for sure.”
Wells said that hearing Cole’s positive review provided a welcome boost.
“The more that I catch him, the more confidence that I’ll have,” Wells said. “Playing catcher, you like a challenge already. So getting to deal with the different guys we have on the staff, I don’t think anyone’s even close to the same. It’s a lot of fun.”
Wells batted .229 (16-for-70) with six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs through his first 19 games of big league duty. His offensive production picked up after a slow start, and Wells earned positive reviews from the pitchers and coaches for defensive work that was better than advertised.
“The best thing I can do is be prepared,” Wells said. “I’m doing the best I can to be prepared to call the pitches. When a situation gets tight, not having to guess what pitch to call, I think that’s important. I think that’ll make more pitchers on the staff trust me and want to throw to me, so that’s my goal.”