Yankees manager Aaron Boone raves about Austin Wells’ improvements in spring training

In 2023, manager Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees had a relatively disappointing season despite immense expectations coming into the campaign. Despite advancing all the way to the National League Championship Series in 2022 and finally bowing out to the Houston Astros, the Yankees missed the postseason altogether in 2023, causing Boone and his staff to have to regroup a little bit this offseason.

Despite the relative frustration of last season, one positive emerged late in the campaign in the form of catcher Austin Wells, who was promoted to the big leagues in September and made an immediate impression on the team both at and behind the plate in his limited time.

Recently, Aaron Boone took the opportunity to sing Wells’ praises as spring training winds down.

“I think he’s a really good catcher,” said Boone, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “I’ve been so impressed with how good of a catcher I think he’s becoming.

“That’s always been [the question], right, can he catch? There’s no doubt in my mind he can — and not only that, I think he’s good. His skillset now — receiving, blocking, throwing — is all good. And the other stuff that’s an important part of the catching, I think he’s got. And I think he’s gonna hit.”