New prospect thread 2020-2021

[Webslinger]

Hes definitely a bat first prospect and not alot of scouts think he ll stick at C long-term. Klaw in his write up on Wells said if he though there was a 20% chance Wells would stick at C he d be a top 100 lock already.

After they drafted him a couple of the Yanks scouts gave interviews and said they believed Wells poor defense was due to never having had been taught good defensive fundamentals but he was athletic and hard working so they think they could re teach him.

I hope this kid develops into a great catcher for us. I will say I hope that they can develop one of those kids into a really good defensive catcher, one that pitcher like throwing to.

I think we have a chance to develop a couple really special arms in the next couple yrs and having an excellent receiving, defensive C would likely aid alot in those young pitchers development

Someone with typically poor defense as a catcher isn't a real catcher. Wells doesn't even have a good arm. Hopefully he makes it as a first baseman.

[Posada20]

Someone with typically poor defense as a catcher isn't a real catcher. Wells doesn't even have a good arm. Hopefully he makes it as a first baseman.

Exactly , the catcher is the one position that I always valued the glove more than the bat .

[Kinkotheclown]

It seems like they have been prioritized defense in their IFA specs by focusing on getting primarily up the middle player. Usually if a kid starts out at CF or SS they can the other positions defensively.

Catchers that are actually plus offensively are pretty rare. As bad as Sanchez has been he's still easily been top 5 offensively over the last 4yrs. Teams tend to take chances with Catchers that have a plus offense profile that they can hopefully coach them up defensively.

For sure. That makes a ton of sense. There is also the hope that if they do absolutely suck behind the plate, they can move to first, corner OF or DH. That's where Wells journey could get tough.

[Phoba Rama]

I'm not sure what people in this thread who have never seen this kid play are trying to suggest. It's plainly obvious this kid may or may not stick at catcher. This is ultimately true of every player at every position when the enter the minors.

Whatever the case may be, everything we know about this kid is from second hand accounts of people we don't even know. Before I say Wells can't catch, I'd like to at least see him play. The Yankees seem to believe they can turn him into a catcher, or at least fake it enough to build his trade value. I trust them more than I trust random psd posters (no offense to you guys, you seem like smart people).

I don't really understand what people are trying to get at by saying Wells is not going to be a catcher. So what? If he ends up helping the Yankees win either on the field or through a trade, it doesn't matter if he ends up being a catcher, a DH, or a bench coach. Are you suggesting the Yankees should not have drafted him? If so, make your claim now and put it in writing so you can have some accountability later on.

[Kinkotheclown]

I'm not sure what people in this thread who have never seen this kid play are trying to suggest. It's plainly obvious this kid may or may not stick at catcher. This is ultimately true of every player at every position when the enter the minors.

Whatever the case may be, everything we know about this kid is from second hand accounts of people we don't even know. Before I say Wells can't catch, I'd like to at least see him play. The Yankees seem to believe they can turn him into a catcher, or at least fake it enough to build his trade value. I trust them more than I trust random psd posters (no offense to you guys, you seam like smart people).

I don't really understand what people are trying to get at by saying Wells is not going to be a catcher. So what? If he ends up helping the Yankees win either on the field or through a trade, it doesn't matter if he ends up being a catcher, a DH, or a bench coach. Are you suggesting the Yankees should not have drafted him? If so, make your claim now and put it in writing so you can have some accountability later on.

We sew and stitch, like smart people?

I am glad they drafted him. As Day and I were discussing, the kid can hit. If he can even be a decent catcher, the Yankees are in business because he's a big lefty bat at a premium position. If he can't and his bat is as good as it is supposed to be, they will find a way to get him to the plate or as you said, he becomes a valuable trade piece.
I am excited to watch him in ST. I hope they give him serious time so we get a good look

[Phoba Rama]

We sew and stitch, like smart people?

I am glad they drafted him. As Day and I were discussing, the kid can hit. If he can even be a decent catcher, the Yankees are in business because he's a big lefty bat at a premium position. If he can't and his bat is as good as it is supposed to be, they will find a way to get him to the plate or as you said, he becomes a valuable trade piece.
I am excited to watch him in ST. I hope they give him serious time so we get a good look

Lol. Fixed. I am so smart, S-M-R-T!

I for one think it was a good pick. I know people have given them a hard time over the years for their first round picks. There is only one over the last five years (Rutherford, Seigler, Schmidt, Volpe, Sikkema and Wells) that I have disliked, and that is Volpe.

Where the Yankees draft every year, there is a high rate of failure so I believe expectations are often unfair. That being said Schmidt seems poised to contribute in the majors, and the jury is still out in Seigler, Volpe, Sikkema, and Wells.

Just because a 1st round pick fails doesn't mean it wasn't a good pick.

[dayners81]

Medina Slow motion mechanics from this winter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBBVMsrTJMY
Ideally i'd like to see him a little smoother and more balanced through his release but with as hard as he throws and as hard as he drives forward landing smoothly is hard to do. One other really good thing you can clearly see in this video is he is no longer getting into that inverted W after he separates his hands. Thats really good because they attribute that inverted W move in pitchers to long term arm/shoulder injuries as well as command/control issues. They have done really good job cleaning up his mechanics over the last yr.

this is another one from another start. When you see it in slo-mo, you can see the power and extension he gets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBvoys7gU6Q


I can't wait to see what he and Gil are going to do this yr

[Kinkotheclown]

Lol. Fixed. I am so smart, S-M-R-T!

I for one think it was a good pick. I know people have given them a hard time over the years for their first round picks. There is only one over the last five years (Rutherford, Seigler, Schmidt, Volpe, Sikkema and Wells) that I have disliked, and that is Volpe.

Where the Yankees draft every year, there is a high rate of failure so I believe expectations are often unfair. That being said Schmidt seems poised to contribute in the majors, and the jury is still out in Seigler, Volpe, Sikkema, and Wells.

Just because a 1st round pick fails doesn't mean it wasn't a good pick.

People have a tough time understanding that. If it's a top 5 pick? Those are the standouts. Yeah, you need to get a guy who's at least a contributor but after that it gets murky. Some teams have the luxury of a gamble. Yankees tend to be one of those teams. Wells is not a player I consider to be a risky pick. It was a smart pick. He has a floor of a being a DH or "big utility" guy. (C/1B/RF) He has a ceiling of being a ridiculously good hitting catcher.

[drt1010]

^^We must also consider a sustained competitive team have not always left the Yankees in the best draft positions, often having to trade for picks and/or IFA pool money. Success is expensive, the hidden costs are sometimes the most difficult. In 2009 Yankees were only a few picks short of Trout (#25), instead grabbing Slade Heathcoat at #29.

[Posada20]

People have a tough time understanding that. If it's a top 5 pick? Those are the standouts. Yeah, you need to get a guy who's at least a contributor but after that it gets murky. Some teams have the luxury of a gamble. Yankees tend to be one of those teams. Wells is not a player I consider to be a risky pick. It was a smart pick. He has a floor of a being a DH or "big utility" guy. (C/1B/RF) He has a ceiling of being a ridiculously good hitting catcher.

Problem with the Yankees in the long term is that they already have plenty of dhs and outfield back up . So the only spot for wells if catching doesn’t work out for him is at 1b

[Phoba Rama]

Problem with the Yankees in the long term is that they already have plenty of dhs and outfield back up . So the only spot for wells if catching doesn’t work out for him is at 1b

Unless you think Mike Ford is the long term solution, a left handed first base bat is an organizational need. Whatever Wells turns into, if he can hit the Yankees will most likely be able to find a way to get him in the lineup without having to DH him. If they can't, there are plenty of other ways to extract his value.

If he is good enough to play in the majors, the Yankees will get value out of him, whether it's finding him a position and getting him at bats there, trading someone to make room for him, or trading him for a position of need or other prospects. Worrying about where the team will place a guy who was just drafted is a fool's errand. You draft the best player available and figure out the rest later, unless your organization has an overwhelming surplus of talent at a given position. The Yankees do not have such a surplus at any of the potential positions Austin Wells might end up playing.

To make a long story short, saying this is a "problem" is incorrect. It would be fantastic if he's good enough to force the Yankees to make major league decisions based on him.

[dayners81]

Unless you think Mike Ford is the long term solution, a left handed first base bat is an organizational need. Whatever Wells turns into, if he can hit the Yankees will most likely be able to find a way to get him in the lineup without having to DH him. If they can't, there are plenty of other ways to extract his value.

If he is good enough to play in the majors, the Yankees will get value out of him, whether it's finding him a position and getting him at bats there, trading someone to make room for him, or trading him for a position of need or other prospects. Worrying about where the team will place a guy who was just drafted is a fool's errand. You draft the best player available and figure out the rest later, unless your organization has an overwhelming surplus of talent at a given position. The Yankees do not have such a surplus at any of the potential positions Austin Wells might end up playing.

To make a long story short, saying this is a "problem" is incorrect. It would be fantastic if he's good enough to force the Yankees to make major league decisions based on him.

[Kinkotheclown]

Excuse me, you aren't supposed to respond to any posts that have responded to his posts

[OhSoSlick]

Excuse me, you aren't supposed to respond to any posts that have responded to his posts

Tmml

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

[dayners81]

Excuse me, you aren't supposed to respond to any posts that have responded to his posts

I'm screwed then since he seems to have a comment for every post unless you tell the truth and call him a troll