Yankees catcher has 'legitimate chance' to win Rookie of the Year, per insider

There have been few catchers in Major League Baseball with better numbers than New York Yankees rookie Austin Wells over the last few months.

Wells took advantage of an injury to Jose Trevino in July, proving he needs to be in the everyday lineup for the Yankees as protection for superstar Aaron Judge.

Since July 1, Wells has led all MLB catchers in fWAR (2.1), wRC+ (151) and OBP (.386) while ranking second in OPS (..890) and batting average (.293).

In ranking the top candidates to win the American League Rookie of the Year award, Jim Bowden of The Athletic had some high praise for Wells.

"Wells has taken advantage of his opportunity, slashing .253/.343/.424 with 14 doubles, 10 home runs and 38 RBIs over 90 games and 316 plate appearances. He’s done a magnificent job defensively, ranking in the 75th percentile in blocks above average and in the 96th percentile in framing. He also deserves high marks for his game calling. With a strong final five weeks of the season, he has a legitimate chance to win this award," Bowden wrote.

It should be noted that Bowden ranked Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil as the top rookie for the award.

The emergence of the rookie catcher has made for a welcomed addition to a Yankees lineup that has struggled to find consistent producers outside of Judge and Juan Soto.

Though the Yankees have put Wells back into a platoon with Trevino, considering the former's struggles against left-handed pitching (.513 OPS), he's been fantastic against righties.

With a final push for the division lead coming up over the next month, Wells could cement himself as the Rookie of the Year while helping the Yankees make a playoff run.

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