MINNEAPOLIS — Of all the positions the Yankees expected to have a consistent offense heading into this season, catcher wasn’t exactly one of them.
And if their backstop tandem was going to make an impact on offense, most would have expected it to be Austin Wells.
Still, there was Jose Trevino, who complemented his typically strong defense with great surprises off the bat throughout the first month and a half of the season.
Trevino, who hit two home runs against the Rays on Sunday, entered Tuesday’s series against the Twins with a batting average of .293 and an OPS of over 125 in 25 games.
“Trevi continues to do it on both sides of the ball,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees are focused on protecting their catchers first and foremost and how to influence the pitching staff.
Trevino certainly provided that, with pitchers repeatedly praising his work with the veteran Trevino, who was rated as one of the best framers in the game.
However, if the Yankees can at least generate consistent offensive power from their catchers, their strong batting lineup will only get stronger.
After a quiet first two weeks, Trevino was batting .368 with a .972 OPS and just three strikeouts in his final 19 games entering Tuesday.
“You just have to come up with a plan of attack and go out there and execute it,” Trevino said.
Trevino’s four home runs in 25 games is the same number as he had in 55 games last season, and his 14 RBIs are one shy of his 2023 total.
Last season, he had a batting average of .210 and an OPS of 56 plus, but due to an injury he had been dealing with since spring training, he underwent season-ending wrist surgery in July.
In addition to being healthier this year, Trevino has also improved his plate discipline.
Entering Tuesday, he had a pursuit percentage of 26.2 percent (league average is 28.4 percent), down from 37.3 percent in 2023 and 40 percent in 2022, according to Baseball Savant.
“I think he’s doing a better job of controlling the zone,” Boone said. “He’s not getting out of the zone as much as he used to. I think you can see that’s an area of growth for him. I think he’s gotten into some good matchups and took advantage of that. But he He’s been consistent at the plate. I feel like he’s getting through the middle of the field with that approach, and that frees him up when he makes a mistake and gets seated.”
Trevino, who is also one of the Yankees’ best players at hitting with runners in scoring position (.316 batting average), pointed to a “long process of working hard” to improve his zone control.
“It didn’t happen overnight,” he said. “I’m just trying to hone my pitches and whatever else I want to hit.”
The Yankees’ catching staff has been working well so far, with Boone determining his starting pitcher each night primarily based on matchups with opposing starting pitchers.
That allowed the right-handed Trevino to stay fresh and face better matchups, starting all but one left-handed pitcher the Yankees faced this season.
Wells, on the other hand, was a slow start, but part of that was bad luck, and his fundamental metrics were encouraging.
The rookie has started to perform well as of late, hitting .333 with a 1.012 OPS in his past 10 games through Monday.
“We have a lot of confidence in both players,” Boone said. “I feel really good about whoever is going to be in that game and the opponent that I like. And what both of them are doing behind the plate with the pitching staff. I feel really good about them and their position. I am very satisfied.”
