TAMPA – Aaron Boone wrote Austin Wells' name in the leadoff spot on February 28th.
No catchers have gone anywhere since.
With each game, it appears that Wells will be leading the way whenever the Yankees host the brewer on the first day of March 27th, and at least whenever they start the season with the right-handed.
“Yeah, I think I can read a bit,” Boone said Sunday after using Wells to lead a 10-game winning streak and a 4-3 loss to the Pirates at Stein Brenner Field.
“I like him there. It could continue to evolve. I don't know that we've seen a lot of left-handed starters. If I'm probably looking at a left-handed starter, I might change it. But I really liked him in that place. I think he's profiled well for that. But there are a lot of people who can imagine me still in that role. That's not necessarily the case. That's the fact that I really like what I'm seeing with Austin and I think he can be pretty dynamic there.”
He may not look like a prototype leadoff hitter, but Wells went on the spot throughout the 10 Grapefruitreeg match, putting together a sort of at-bat that Boone cherishes more than Aaron's judge. After going 3-1 with a walk and a leadoff double on Sunday, Wells is able to hit 31-11 (.355) with an OPS of 1.122 and three home runs this spring.
At the beginning of camp, Boone said he could imagine six or seven different leadoff options. He also gave Jazz Chisholm Jr. a series of games at the leadoff spot this spring.
But while the speedy Chisholm may suit the leadoff hitter look more than Wells, Boone looks like he likes him more in the middle of the lineup.
“I'm watching that as a batsman and what I think his profile will be,” Boone said. “[That] He's a man who rides the base and is clearly powerful. ”
