Austin Wells was once again slotted in the leadoff spot for the Yankees in Thursday’s spring training action, this time part of a starting lineup that largely featured a look that could be what Aaron Boone goes with on Opening Day.
Aaron Judge was slated behind Wells, followed by Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Jazz Chisholm. With the start of the season three weeks away, Wells atop the order is becoming more of a possibility, with Boone already pointing to it as an option after his young catcher homered out of the leadoff spot five days earlier.
“I think he is one of those guys that is going to get on,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “In the event I do versus right and versus left leadoff hitters, which is very possible, I could see Wells fitting into that mix. Certainly, I’ve been doing it with Jazz and trying to give him some runway there. This is something I could see.”
If it does become something Boone uses, it would be historic. The Yankees have never had a catcher bat leadoff in regular season action, but times have changed. After all, Kyle Schwarber has seen plenty of time as a leadoff hitter with the Phillies. Would Wells make sense as a leadoff hitter?
Wells was locked in during the summer of last season, posting an OBP of .389 in July and August, and finished the season with a solid .327 OBP against righties. Perhaps Boone could use his catcher in the leadoff role against righty starters, and while it would look unorthodox to many baseball watchers, there is some logic to the strategy.
With Wells atop the order, fellow leadoff candidates Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez, and Chisholm would all be pushed to the bottom half of the order. Suddenly, the Yankees have loads of speed in the back half, potentially offering more opportunity to manufacture runs or set the table for the top of the order. Production at the bottom of the order was an issue at times last season for the Yanks, but this method could help alleviate some of that pressure for the top half of the lineup.
The traditional lineup has speed atop the order, but with Judge likely batting second, are stolen bases that necessary? Judge makes a living off of home runs and extra-base hits, so a stolen base doesn’t do as much in terms of changing the outcome of an inning in that regard. Perhaps stolen bases out of the leadoff spot for the Yankees, as they are constructed, isn’t as important.
The thought process from Boone could be a simple one: Wells showed an ability to work counts, see pitches, and get on base last year, all while displaying impressive power as well, an area that could see more improvement if he is getting more pitches to hit in front of Judge. Meanwhile, the back of the lineup develops an identity if Wells is at the top. With that in mind, it may at least be worth an experiment once the games start to count.