Austin Wells is sitting in the bleachers down the right field line at Hi Corbett Field, chatting with a reporter. It鈥檚 a cool, slightly overcast afternoon in late January 鈥 perfect for practicing baseball.
蜜柚直播鈥檚 practice has not begun yet 鈥 Wells is wearing shorts and flip-flops 鈥 but several former Wildcats are working out on the field below. They are all professionals now, toiling in the minor leagues.
In an alternate reality, Wells would be one of them.
Wells emerged as a big-time pro prospect in the summer of 2017. He also hurt his elbow, which prevented him from playing catcher as a senior at Las Vegas鈥 Bishop Gorman High School. Unable to showcase his all-around skills, Wells became something of an enigma for MLB draft evaluators. He and his family decided the best move for his future was to honor his commitment to 蜜柚直播 and play for the Wildcats.
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Wells is asked if he would be here right now if he had not been hurt.
鈥淚鈥檓 not really sure,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think there was a lot better chance that I wouldn鈥檛 have been. But coming here was the best decision I ever made. So I鈥檓 super thankful 鈥 not thankful that it happened, but I鈥檓 thankful that I was able to go through this process, because I feel so much more prepared to play baseball at the next level.鈥
Wells thrived at 蜜柚直播 in 2019, becoming the first Wildcat to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, among other accolades. He will be eligible for the 鈥20 draft after his sophomore season, which begins Friday when the UA hosts Albany.
Wells currently is projected to be a first-round pick.
UA assistant Dave Lawn believes Wells is a better prospect than former USC catcher Jeff Clement, whom Lawn coached. Clement was the third overall selection in 2005.
鈥淕od has an interesting path sometimes,鈥 said Greg Wells, Austin鈥檚 father and a former UA baseball player. 鈥淚f you look at where Austin is at today versus where he would have been signing out of high school, he鈥檚 a better person, a better man, more educated.鈥
Austin Wells also is having fun, which is precisely what Greg and his wife, Michelle, a former UA gymnast, were hoping the eldest of their three sons would get out of his collegiate experience. One could go so far as to say that Austin has a wonderful life.
鈥楢n old soul鈥
蜜柚直播's Austin Wells is set to join the New York Yankees' organization after being picked in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft.
Austin Wells as George Bailey? Give us a moment here. It鈥檒l all make sense.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a Wonderful Life,鈥 the iconic 1946 Christmas film, presents a parallel universe to its protagonist. When George is down and out, his guardian angel shows him what the world would be like if he never had been born. Alternate reality? Check.
Earlier in the movie, George and his father discuss George鈥檚 plans for college and the future. It鈥檚 mentioned that George was young when he began working for his dad at the Bailey Bros. Building & Loan. 鈥淵ou were born older,鈥 George鈥檚 father remarks. It鈥檚 a simple statement that speaks to the essence of George鈥檚 character: His sense of duty and responsibility is what keeps him in Bedford Falls but also makes him a cherished friend and respected community leader.
Wells鈥 mother calls Austin an 鈥渙ld soul.鈥 His coaches say the 20-year-old鈥檚 rare maturity might be his best trait. Wells鈥 makeup will enable him to handle the hype that seems to be growing daily 鈥 including a spot on the watchlist for the Golden Spikes Award, announced Thursday 鈥 and the pressure that accompanies a top prospect鈥檚 draft year. His parents and coaches have advised him to try not to do too much. He won鈥檛.
鈥淗e was always just so solid,鈥 Michelle Wells said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say reserved, just very even-keeled, even as a child. Very fun-loving at the same time. But then a very serious side. We always called him an old soul, since he was little. We would call him our little man.鈥
No sport requires you to manage your emotions more than baseball. Greg Wells, who knows how difficult that can be, marvels at his son鈥檚 ability to perform within a certain range every day 鈥 regardless of whether he succeeded or failed the previous day.
鈥淗e does it way better than I did,鈥 said Greg Wells, the president of a real estate firm in Las Vegas. 鈥淚f you have thin skin or an insecurity component, you鈥檙e going to get exposed.鈥
Whether the ability to control one鈥檚 emotions is an innate characteristic or a skill that can be acquired is up for debate. Austin Wells insists his parents helped him develop his demeanor.
鈥淭hey totally made me believe that I could do whatever I wanted as long as I put my mind to it and worked hard for it,鈥 he said. 鈥淗aving that support system 鈥 has given me all the confidence in the world to go out and, if I fail, I fail. Come back stronger and learn from it.鈥
Greg Wells says he can鈥檛 remember Austin ever losing his cool, 鈥渆ven in Little League.鈥
If you have ever been around Little Leaguers, you know how unusual that is.
Learning experiences
Austin Wells was 鈥渁n old soul鈥 as a child, his mother said, someone who never lost his cool, even in Little League. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say reserved, just very even-keeled, even as a child,鈥 she added.
Austin Wells鈥 first baseball memory isn鈥檛 different than most: Playing Wiffle ball in the yard with his dad. Austin remembers the bat being bigger than he was.
鈥淭he thing was basically swinging me,鈥 he said.
His mom recalls her son showing advanced hand-eye coordination as early as 2 years old. Greg and Michelle had no idea Austin one day would become a legitimate MLB prospect. They kept all their boys 鈥 Austin, Carson and Mason 鈥 involved in sports. Carson is committed to play baseball at USC. Mason is a Division I lacrosse recruit.
Austin also played lacrosse, but he always came back to baseball, which offered unique challenges. Wells did derive value from lacrosse, which he believes helped make him a better baserunner.
(Fun fact I: While primarily playing catcher, Wells had a team-high seven triples last year. Fun fact II: Between his freshman season and the Cape Cod League last summer, Wells stole 13 bases without being caught.)
Wells is one of those people who takes something from every situation he encounters. Even though he didn鈥檛 play football in high school, he imagines it would have helped develop his leadership skills.
Although he enjoyed extraordinary personal success a year ago 鈥 he slashed .353/.462/.552; his batting average never dipped below .333; and he was a unanimous Freshman All-American 鈥 Wells viewed his freshman campaign as a learning experience. He learned how to deal with increased attention. He learned how to deal with losing. 蜜柚直播 finished 32-24 but didn鈥檛 earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to lose,鈥 Michelle Wells said. 鈥淵ou want to win. But what are we learning when we lose?鈥
Michelle said she and her husband, based on their own athletic experiences, tried to provide a template for their kids, urging them to 鈥渂e positive, open your eyes, listen and learn from different moments and opportunities and people who are around you.鈥
Austin Wells probably would have thrived anywhere. He chose to play at 蜜柚直播 because of the way Jay Johnson and his staff coached. Wells excelled in his first season as a Wildcat 鈥 in every way but one.
Defense and the draft
Wells braces for impact on a tipped pitch at a Wildcats scrimmage last month at Hi Corbett Field.
Wells was named the Cape Cod League鈥檚 top pro prospect after batting .308 and leading Yarmouth-Dennis in doubles (13), home runs (seven) and RBIs (26). He subsequently was named 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Summer Player of the Year.
Wells was not remotely satisfied. Upon returning to campus in August, Wells immediately went to work on his deficiencies. Mainly, he strived to improve as a catcher.
Wells wasn鈥檛 a bad catcher as a freshman, but he wasn鈥檛 great. He allowed 10 passed balls and threw out only six of 23 base stealers. He also knew he could have done more to help a pitching staff that struggled to throw strikes.
Working with team trainer Isaac Trujillo, Wells focused on enhancing his flexibility, particularly in his hips. The goal was to get lower in his crouch to (A) be in a better position to receive pitches thrown at or just beneath the bottom of the strike zone; and (B) keep pitches thrown in the dirt from bounding to the backstop.
鈥淗aving that awareness of what he needs to do to be the best he can be 鈥 he needs to be a better catcher,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淗e knows, not only is it important for him and where he wants to go, but it鈥檚 important for our team. He鈥檚 taken real ownership in that. I鈥檝e seen a dramatic improvement.鈥
Lawn and Wells鈥 teammates have noticed it as well. Pitching coach Nate Yeskie, who was with Oregon State last season, told Lawn that Wells had made 鈥渜uantum leaps鈥 as a receiver since last spring.
Wells’ defensive ability is the only real question scouts have about him. His scouting report at , where he’s the 24th-ranked prospect for the 2020 draft, reads as follows: “There is no question that Wells’ bat plays. … There are more concerns about where he might play defensively. He’s adequate behind the plate.”
The report suggested Wells might follow a 鈥淜yle Schwarber-type path to the big leagues.鈥 The Chicago Cubs drafted Schwarber as a catcher but eventually moved him to left field.
Although he has more than enough athleticism to handle a corner outfield spot, Wells is determined to prove he can be a viable catcher 鈥 the position he gravitated toward at an early age to be in the middle of the action on every pitch.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we openly talk about it, but I can only imagine or presume that he doesn鈥檛 really like the idea that he鈥檚 a hit-first, catch-second鈥 prospect, said Lawn, who coaches 蜜柚直播鈥檚 catchers.
Lawn believes Wells can play catcher longterm 鈥 which greatly would enhance his value to MLB clubs 鈥 after seeing how much he has improved over the past year. That development doesn鈥檛 surprise anyone who has spent any time around him.
鈥淗is work ethic, his desire to get better, his competitiveness, his fundamentals, his character 鈥 it just says who he is,鈥 junior outfielder Donta Williams said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see the guy, after an intra-squad (scrimmage), go and hit for an hour and a half. He never settles for being just OK. He always wants to push himself to be great.鈥
Where Wells goes in the draft remains to be seen. The physical location of the event this year is Omaha, Nebraska. The draft will lead right into the College World Series.
Wells would like nothing more than to experience that moment with his teammates. Pulling it off, he said, would be 鈥渟uper awesome.鈥
Wonderful, one might say.
