TAMPA — Gerrit Cole took his first live batting practice of spring training Wednesday, carrying his new backstop.
Austin Wells caught the current AL Cy Young Award winner on 36 pitches after practicing together for the first time during a bullpen session earlier this week.
Cole said, “It was fun.” “Nothing happened.”
That’s usually a good thing for Battery, and it was a good first impression for Wells, who began the relationship-building process with Cole during a late-season call-up last September.
Wells didn’t catch Cole at all that month — Jose Trevino was on injured reserve and Ben Rotvedt was the catcher — but he was a headache while Cole was on the mound. He spent his time “trying to be as careful as possible.”
The process continued early this spring, with Wells trying to get a better understanding of what pitches Cole wants to throw in certain numbers.
The two are expected to get more help, especially since Trevino missed the first week or two of Grapefruit League games due to a calf strain.
“Gerrit insisted that we do it together.” [Wells] It’s a little bit down here, especially early in the day,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But yeah, I thought it went pretty smoothly.”
Trevino is known for his preparation and top-notch work on pitchers, but he’s still likely to catch Cole most of the time during the regular season.
But it will be important for Wells to build on his foundation as an ace this spring, especially since his bat has the potential to add even more depth to the Yankees’ lineup this season.
“With the situation we’re in right now, the best thing I can do is be prepared,” Wells said. “It’s important that I try to prepare as best as I can to call pitches so that when the going gets tough, I don’t have to guess which pitches to call. That way, the pitchers on the staff also know what I’m going to do.” I think they’ll trust me and want to pitch. That’s my goal.”
There were some defensive questions during Wells’ minor league career, but he made a big effort to answer those questions when he was called up last September.
“He’s been growing up little by little and I’ve never seen him bad,” Cole said. “Right away, I thought his game-calling was exceptional. He came right up against the Astros, we won the series, and he caught the whole game. He obviously really He was intelligent and physically strong. He was a good catcher.”
Mr. Wells appreciated the praise.
“It gives me confidence, and the more I catch him, the more confidence I get. Just being in battery with him, being there to help guide him, and him too. Just being able to guide me,” Wells said. “I look forward to continuing this relationship and hopefully continuing to build his trust.”
Nestor Cortez said Wednesday, a day after throwing 44 pitches in batting practice, that he was off pitching but feeling good.
