The 2026 Main League Baseball season introduced with it a brand new set of statistics to trace.
The ABS (automated ball-strike) problem system got here into impact in MLB for this 12 months, and the trio of batter, catcher and pitcher was all ready to participate in difficult calls.
There have been all the time going to be some guys who have been higher at it and a few who have been worse. It didn’t take lengthy for many guys to disclose themselves as being in a kind of two classes.
It additionally grew to become clear that catchers have been going to be the blokes that, by far, challenged essentially the most pitches throughout the season.
And that’s the place the New York Yankees‘ catcher, Austin Wells, is available in.
Wells had a season with the bat that he’ll need to overlook.
However as a challenger? He was actually good.
Actually, he led the American League.
Austin Wells Leads AL in ABS
Wells had the very best success price for a catcher difficult ball-strike calls within the American League.
After all, a catcher would simply problem a ball that he thought must be a strike.
Wells challenged 131 occasions. He received 82 right.
That works out to a price of 62.6% right.
The subsequent-closest within the AL was Twins catcher Victor Caratini, at 59.1%.
Wells ended up ranked fourth within the majors within the price stat, behind the odds of the Reds‘ Tyler Stephenson, the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman and the Marlins’ Joe Mack.
Wells additionally had the third-highest complete of right challenges — the Brewers‘ William Contreras led the league with 105 right challenges, though he additionally had by far essentially the most complete challenges at 185 (56.8% for Contreras).
This chart reveals a number of of these numbers for the very best within the league — with it price noting that Wells was third within the league in profitable challenges by uncooked complete:
Austin Wells led the American League in ABS Problem Success.
He was third total in MLB. pic.twitter.com/Y4eyLEFWVd— Yankees.Blue (@Yankees_Blue) September 28, 2026
It’s attention-grabbing that extra profitable difficult was finished within the NL versus the AL, but it surely’s laborious to have any apparent takeaways from that in only one 12 months of the information.
What’s clear is that Wells did job on this catcher’s new position in 2026.
Austin Wells Stats
So far as his bat, Wells was higher within the second half of the 12 months.
Nonetheless, he completed with career-worsts in batting common (.186) and OPS (.624).
Wells ended up enjoying in 122 video games and hitting 14 house runs, though solely seven doubles. He drove in 32 runs.
The Yankees will want Wells to be not less than a bit higher than that in the event that they need to depend on him some within the postseason.
Nonetheless, it’s necessary to do not forget that catcher protection is a pivotal a part of the worth at that place, and if Wells does properly behind the plate, that helps the Yankees win video games even when he’s struggling to hit the ball.
Like HEAVY’s content material? You’ll want to observe us.
This text was initially revealed on HEAVY
The publish Yankees’ Austin Wells Finishes With League-Main Feat appeared first on HEAVY.
