Austin Wells
- The Yankees’ roster as it stands starts at C · 414 PA · 2.1 WAR in the role
- Injured list 2026: Cervical headaches (Jun 6–Jun 21)
- Trade read Unlikely to be traded: Young, controllable regular (age 27, control through 2029): the kind of player clubs build around.
Hitting · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB hitters with 300+ PA · 388 PA
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 99 | .199 | .227 | 29% | 8% | 34% | −0.32 | −2.81 |
| RHP | 289 | .313 | .329 | 26% | 13% | 26% | +0.61 | −0.12 |
- Attack angle
- 14.0° (51% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- −6.3°
- Swing length
- 7.6 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 24%
- Pull-air %
- 22.2%
- Hard-hit %
- 42.9%
- Slash · wRC+
- .186/.292/.332 · 77
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage middle-away (+3.1 vs. league per 100; 1.5 standard errors on 96 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest down and in (−4.6), but only 2.0 standard errors from average on 60 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average LHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 1,441 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like Wells: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Tyler O'Neill BAL · ’95 | .307 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Signed $16.5M |
| 71 | Marcell Ozuna FA · ’90 | .304 | −1.0 | 0.2 | Free agent |
| 66 | Colton Cowser BAL · ’00 | .316 | 2.1 | 2.0 | Arb |
| 65 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. NYY · ’98 | .296 | 3.5 | 3.2 | Free agent |
| 63 | Luis Campusano SD · ’98 | .327 | 1.8 | 0.9 | Arb |
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (similarity 65, 3.2 WAR projected for 2027) is a free agent this winter: a similar swing available without trading talent, at a free agent’s price. Opportunity Finder →
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No MLB fielding yet. | ||||||
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
No directional data (needs a qualified season at one position).
Tools (percentile among MLB fielders)| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Too few balls in his zone. | |||
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
* projected arbitration or minimum salary. Contract Studio →
Minor leagues
MLB Stats API · public box-score data
| SeasonLevel | Level | Team | Age | G | PA / IP | PA / IP ·Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026AAA | AAA | Scranton/ | 26 | 3 | 14 PA | 14 PA · .167/.286/.667 · 2 HR · 28.6% K · 14.3% BB |
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant