Austin Wells

Austin Kenneth Wells (born July 12, 1999) is an American professional baseball catcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the University of Arizona, and the Yankees selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft. Wells made his MLB debut in 2023. Early life Wells grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. His parents were athletes at the University of Arizona; his father, Greg, played baseball and his mother, Michelle, was a gymnast. His brother Carson played baseball and his brother Mason played lacrosse. Amateur career Wells attended Bishop Gorman High School, and played catcher for the baseball team. As a junior, he was named the Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and a second team All-American by USA Today and played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game after finishing the season with a .500 batting average with eight home runs and 47 runs batted in (RBIs). He committed to play college baseball at the University of Arizona during his junior year. Wells injured the elbow of his throwing arm during his senior season, requiring surgery. He could not catch during his senior year, but played as a designated hitter, limiting the interest he had drawn from Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. As a senior, he batted .527 with 20 doubles, six triples and four home runs while scoring 46 runs and batting in 46 runs. The New York Yankees selected Wells in the 35th round of the 2018 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign and enrolled at Arizona.