Yankees prospects Austin Wells, Tyler Hardman building cases for Triple-A promotions
BRIDGEWATER — It seems to be the biggest question on the mind of anyone who follows the Yankees’ farm system these days.
When is Austin Wells going to be promoted to Triple-A?
The organization’s No. 2 prospect has been in Double-A for more than a calendar year, playing 109 games with the Somerset Patriots while posting solid numbers at the dish and behind the plate.
“It’s out of my control, so, I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hope for the best,” Wells said this week when asked if he’s begun to wonder when he will get the long-awaited call to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, adding that he doesn’t find those thoughts difficult to block out. “I think they’re good at times. They can help motivate you to want to be in a different spot. No one wants to be in the same spot their whole career, so I’m looking forward to what’s next, for sure.”
Wells and third baseman Tyler Hardman, the Yankees’ No. 18 prospect, both are building cases to get promoted in the second half of the season.
The main impediment to Wells is likely a numbers game at catcher. Scranton currently has Ben Rortvedt (part of the Gary Sanchez trade last year) who has 44 games of big league experience and has a .998 OPS in 25 games with the RailRiders this season. Then there is Carlos Narvaez, who has an .864 OPS in Scranton and also needs regular playing time at catcher.
But in terms of upside, the Yankees have no one behind the plate with the ability to hit for average and power to all fields like Wells. And ultimately the 24-year-old’s progression in the system might take precedence in the coming weeks.
“I think as the season goes on every year of my career I’ve gotten better and better, so the more that I play, the more comfortable I feel, and I feel in a really, really good spot right now,” Wells said. “I’m just looking to improve that.”
The 2020 first-round pick is sporting a .250/.342/.490 hitting line with 11 home runs and 47 RBI in 49 games this season. His 24 extra-base hits have already exceeded the 21 that he tallied in 55 games with Somerset last summer, and he has an .836 OPS overall in his two seasons at this level.
His defense has been more scrutinized by scouts, but Wells has been solid in that regard with the Patriots as well. His pitch framing has been highly regarded, and he has significantly cut down on his passed balls since arriving in Somerset last July. His caught-stealing rate (14 percent) is down from last year (23 percent), but the new rules of limited disengagements for pitchers are one reason that is not overly concerning.
His only setback was a fractured rib that caused him to miss the first month of the season. He admitted he was “a little hesitant to go full go” when he first returned to the lineup in May, but he has been feeling 100 percent ever since.
“I would like to say that I’ve done as good as I can, but there’s always more room for improvement,” Wells said when asked if he feels as though he has conquered Double-A. “The longer that I’m here, the more opportunities I’m gonna get to refine my tools and what’s gonna help me in the big leagues. I’m not perfect and I’m not trying to be, but I’m trying to be the best that I can every day.”
But make no mistake: His goal remains impacting the Yankees at some point before the season is over and reuniting with former teammate Anthony Volpe, who entering Friday was batting .333 (23-for-69) with eight extra-base hits since tweaking his batting stance after studying film with Wells over chicken parm on June 12.
“It’s amazing. Seeing him perform, even early on it’s so cool to see him up there playing the game,” Wells said. “I got to play with him the last two years and hope to again this year, so I think it’s super cool to have him up there representing the younger guys, the younger prospects up there and doing what he does best.”
Hardman, meanwhile, recently became Somerset’s first position player this season to be named Eastern League Player of the Week.
The 2021 fifth-round pick has been a breakout power bat with 19 home runs — second in the system only to Scranton’s Estevan Florial (21) — and an .868 OPS entering Friday.
A career-high 53.1 fly-ball percentage is among his improved metrics this year, which Hardman says is more about his mental approach than physical mechanics.
“Honestly, for me it’s kind of always been a swing decision thing, just swinging at better pitches, trying to hit the ball hard anyways,” Hardman said. “A perfect swing for us is when it leaves the yard, so I’m trying to find those pitches more often and not miss them.”
He certainly didn’t miss much during June when he slugged .600, and then he opened July with a three-home run game in Bowie. Hardman said those dingers came off of a fastball with ride, a splitter and a slider.
“Looking back on it, it was good to hit a variety of pitches out,” Hardman added. “The stronger I am to my mental game and my approach at looking for a good pitch to hit and not chasing is gonna be huge.”
As for the game itself, Hardman’s outburst sparked a 9-5 win as the Patriots won four of six in Bowie to kick off the second half.
“It was great,” Hardman said. “Weird enough, when you go to the plate, everybody thinks you’re trying to do it again, and the games where you don’t try it are, weird enough, the ones that happen to be the most successful ones. I mean, it felt good. It was really light-hearted. I got out my fourth at-bat and everybody was giving me crap for it, so I mean, it was fun. It’s definitely fun when you have a good team around you.”
The 24-year-old Hardman seems to have a clearer path to Scranton than Wells. Andres Chaparro (16 home runs) has been one of Scranton’s best hitters but could conceivably either get called up to the Yankees or play more first base to accommodate Hardman.
Then again, this is Hardman’s first full season in Double-A (67 games overall), so it also wouldn’t be surprising to see him held back from Triple-A until next April.