TAMPA — Supervisor Aaron Boone has stated he can envision “a number” of in-house hitters turning into the Yankees leadoff hitter this yr.
On Friday, Austin Wells acquired his first crack at hitting first and made it rely.
Wells, who’s a sensible if untraditional choice to emerge because the No. 1 hitter, wanted simply two pitches to say that he feels snug within the spot.
In his first at-bat atop the order, the younger catcher golfed a 1-0 fastball from righty Jake Bloss over the proper discipline wall for his first residence run of the spring to start Friday’s 6-3 win over the Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Discipline.
“I’ve never really led off ever in my life,” Wells stated after the 1-for-2 evening. “It was fun to do that today.”
Boone has loads of leadoff choices (partially as a result of he doesn’t have any surefire match after Gleyber Torres walked in free company) in a lineup that’s nonetheless taking form.
Aaron Choose is nearly locked in because the No. 2 hitter, and Cody Bellinger is the front-runner to hit third, the place he batted Friday and added his personal first-inning residence run.
Final season Wells was used most frequently because the cleanup hitter, and he might soar from Choose’s safety (after Choose usually batted third in 2024) to Choose’s table-setter.
The slow-footed Wells shouldn’t be the throwback imaginative and prescient of a leadoff man and won’t steal many bases, however he fights by at-bats, has a very good information of the strike zone and most significantly can get on base.
“You never know here,” Boone stated of a leadoff Wells. “It’s one thing I’d take into account. I’ve preferred Jazz [Chisholm Jr.] there.
“Especially against right-handed pitching, I could absolutely see that being a thing.”
By way of 94 video games final season, Wells posted a robust .348 on-base proportion that noticed him climb out of the underside of the lineup and into the center of the lineup.
The then-rookie drained down the stretch in his first full season as a significant league catcher and as he performed almost each day, his OBP simply .217 in September.
If a greater rested and performing Wells arrives this season, he might seize the on a regular basis leadoff job or serve within the function in opposition to opposing righties.
Chisholm, switch-hitting Jasson Domínguez and maybe Bellinger additionally might fill that function.
If Boone opts for a platoon atop the lineup, there are worlds through which righties Anthony Volpe or DJ LeMahieu (if he turns again the clock) would get appears hitting first in opposition to lefties.
“To me it doesn’t matter where I’m at,” Wells stated, “just as long as I’m in the lineup.”
