Last July, Austin Wells grabbed the starting catcher job with both hands. The rookie backstop took advantage of more regular playing time when Jose Trevino was hurt and was one of the Yankees’ most productive hitters for a good stretch of the season. He paired that success at the plate with elite framing behind it, which established the former bat-first glove-second prospect as a defensive stalwart. As I wrote of Wells in our end-of-year report card series last November, if the AL Rookie of the Year finalist could continue to pair elite defense with above-average production at the plate, he would prove to be one of the Yankees’ most valuable core players going forward.

While Wells’ framing and overall defensive body of work remains excellent, that bat hasn’t come along for the ride this y

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