Yankees' Top Catching Prospect Earns Promotion to Double-A

by: Max Goodman —Sports Illustrated: Inside The Pinstripes

Austin Wells is New York's No. 4 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Austin Wells is one step closer to the Bronx.

The Yankees' top catching prospect was promoted from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, the team announced.

Wells began the 2022 season with Hudson Valley, his second season of pro ball after getting drafted in the first round by the Yankees in 2020 (No. 28 overall pick out of Arizona).

After a brief stint on the injured list, Wells returned to action with Low-A Tampa, the affiliate where he spent the majority of last season. He played for the Tarpons for nine games, including Monday, before this promotion.

Across 37 games with Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley this year, Wells hit .304/.425/.568 with eight home runs, 22 RBI, 26 runs, 27 walks, nine stolen bases and nine doubles. 

Of those 37 contests, the backstop was situated behind the plate for 27 of them. He was penciled in at designated hitter for the other 10. 

Wells threw out 13 of the 35 runners trying to steal on him in High-A this season with only one passed ball. Last year, across two levels and 70 total games, he caught only 14 runners stealing on 112 tries with 16 passed balls.

A few days ago, New York's catching prospect Josh Breaux was promoted from Double-A to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, opening the door for Wells' step forward. Breaux, the Yankees' No. 25 prospect, was batting .204/.273/.436 with 13 homers and 29 RBI in 53 games with Somerset. 

Wells is ranked as New York's No. 4 prospect by MLB.com, situated behind shortstops Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and outfielder Jasson Dominguez. The catcher will turn 23 on July 12.

Here's his MLB Pipeline scouting report:

The Yankees have an affinity in general for offensive-minded catchers and in particular for Wells, whom they drafted in the 35th round from a Las Vegas high school in 2018 and 28th overall in the first round out of Arizona two years later. He won the Pacific-12 Conference freshman of the year and Cape Cod League top prospect awards in 2019, his lone full college season, before signing for $2.5 million as a sophomore-eligible. He posted an .867 OPS with 16 homers and as many steals while advancing to High-A in his pro debut, then continued to rake in the Arizona Fall League. 

Wells has lived up to his reputation as one of the top all-around college bats in the 2020 Draft. He's an advanced hitter who recognizes pitches and controls the strike zone while making hard contact to all fields from the left side of the plate. He consistently drives the ball in the air and should hit for average and power and draw plenty of walks. 

Though Wells is willing to put in the work to improve behind the plate, few scouts outside of the organization believe he'll be a long-term catcher. Elbow problems that started in high school have left him with a below-average arm and he lacks soft hands, which resulted in 98 steals (at an 87 percent success rate) and 16 passed balls in 70 games last season. He has fringy speed and moves well enough to be able to handle a shift to left field, which could enable him to maximize his offensive production at a far less demanding position. 

Yankees Minor League Manager Outlines Goals for Her Career

by: Joseph Salvador —Sports Illustrated

Rachel Balkovec made history in January when she was officially named the manager for the Yankees’ Low-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons—making her the first woman to manage a team in the minor leagues. The trailblazer recently shared what goals she has but history doesn’t seem to be a priority for her. 

“The goal is just to get better, that’s it,” Balkovec told MyCentralJersey.com. “The goal for me, long-term, is to be a general manager. So, if I never climb above Tampa, then I don’t really care. I’ve never really said that it’s my goal to climb the minor league system and get to the big leagues, it’s more so just that I’m a generalist and I prefer to be a jack of all trades and master of none. That’s just how I operate, so I’m learning as much as I can here before I go on to my next step, whatever that may be.”

Balkovec sounds like getting to the majors isn’t a priority so much as it is just a byproduct of her success. But with anything worth doing, there will be struggles. Her squad finished the first half at a Florida State League-worst 27–39 and was plainly asked about her first season on the job and her struggles.

“It’s been difficult, as expected,” Balkovec said. “I think any time somebody asks that question, I think the canned answer would be, ‘Oh, it’s been great.’ But it’s been a learning process for me. Obviously, I’ve had a lot of support from the Yankees and thankfully a lot of support from the players. These are guys I had last year, and having their respect obviously helps a lot. I’m learning a lot of new things, which is never comfortable, but that’s not really what I’m after anyway. It’s just been a learning experience.”

No one thought history would be easy, especially Balkovec. 

New York Post | Jared Greenspan: Rachel Balkovec made waves when she was hired as manager of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons in the offseason, becoming the first woman to hold a managerial job at any level of the professional leagues. Things got off to an inauspicious start for Balkovec when she was hit in the face with a line drive during practice and the team struggled through the first half of the season, but the season has taken a turn for the better for the Tarpons lately and Balkovec’s team is starting to find their footing. In this profile, Balkovec reflects on the start to her barrier-breaking career and where she hopes to one day end up.

Matt Kardos: Ken Waldichuk is really good. Super intelligent guy with a great understanding of his stuff and how to work hitters. Looking forward to seeing him pitch on the national stage.

Yankees have a stud starting pitcher dominating in Triple-A

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The New York Yankees have a number of quality pitching prospects climbing through the minor-league system, but one has been dominant with Triple-A Scranton this season.

24-year-old lefty starter, Ken Waldichuk, has been phenomenal over 41.1 innings. Every year, Waldichuk has taken a big jump forward. Starting in High-A with Hudson Valley in 2021 and quickly elevating to Scranton this year. His unbelievable stuff with Double-A affiliate, Somerset, helped catapult him to the Yankees’ top affiliate.

Over 28.2 innings with Somerset, Waldichuk posted a 1.26 ERA, 14.44 strikeouts per nine, and a 51% ground ball rate. With Scranton, he currently hosts a 3.27 ERA with 13.06 strikeouts per nine and an 80.5% left on base rate. The increase in talent has undoubtedly been a challenge. Waldichuk still managed to put together impressive performances despite the quick elevation.

MLB Pipeline sees Waldichuk as a potential starter down the road:

Waldichuk has scrapped the 89-92 mph two-seam fastball he had in college in favor of a four-seamer that sits at 92-95. His heater’s shape and carry up in the strike zone are even more impressive than its velocity, and hitters repeatedly swing under it. He also has made progress with his slider, adding sweep to it since signing, as well as his fading changeup, and both low-80s offerings grade as plus at their best.

Waldichuk also employs an upper-70s curveball to give him a pitch with more depth, though it gets slurvy and blends with his slider. He does a nice job of using his 6-foot-4 frame and low three-quarters arm slot to enhance his deception, and his angle and extension are especially tough on left-handers. He throws a reasonable number of strikes but is still learning how to command his improved stuff, which could make him a No. 3 starter.

The Yankees are extremely high on Ken Waldichuk:

Having a 6’4″, lefty starter in the rotation would be fantastic for the Yankees. He’s one of the few prospects management would like to retain and not include in any potential trade packages at the deadline this year.

Given his unique arm slot and phenomenal break, there are hopes that Waldichuk could propel himself to one of the team’s best starters in the future.

In fact, YES Network host David Cone indicated that Waldichuk could be called up to the big leagues to help supplement fatigue down the stretch.

With Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes pitching a ton of innings before the All-Star break, the Yankees could reinforcements. There are reports circling that general manager Brian Cashman could look to acquire Luis Castillo at the deadline. They have a few home-grown players capable of spot starts, though. We’ve already seen a nice dosage of JP Sears the season, who has looked solid against lesser competition.

Cone stated via NJ.com that Waldichuk has a deceptive delivery and awesome rise with his fastball.

Lefty with a deceptive delivery, good life (on his fastball) and a really wicked slider. And he’s lefty! If something happened, I don’t think they would hesitate to bring him here right now if they had to.

Clearly, there’s a lot to like with the young starter, and he may be deserving of a shot in the bigs.

MLB Pipeline sees Waldichuk as a potential starter down the road:

Waldichuk has scrapped the 89-92 mph two-seam fastball he had in college in favor of a four-seamer that sits at 92-95. His heater’s shape and carry up in the strike zone are even more impressive than its velocity, and hitters repeatedly swing under it. He also has made progress with his slider, adding sweep to it since signing, as well as his fading changeup, and both low-80s offerings grade as plus at their best.

Waldichuk also employs an upper-70s curveball to give him a pitch with more depth, though it gets slurvy and blends with his slider. He does a nice job of using his 6-foot-4 frame and low three-quarters arm slot to enhance his deception, and his angle and extension are especially tough on left-handers. He throws a reasonable number of strikes but is still learning how to command his improved stuff, which could make him a No. 3 starter.