Arizona Baseball

Arizona Wildcats’ Austin Wells Selected 28th in First Round of MLB Draft by New York Yankees

By Javier Morales

Posted on June 10, 2020

Arizona catcher Austin Wells became the 12th first-round selection in the program’s history with his No. 28 pick by the New York Yankees in today’s Major League Baseball Draft.

In his brief two-year career for Arizona, Wells played 71 games and batted .357 with seven home runs and 74 RBIs in 277 at-bats.

He is the son of Greg and Michelle Wells, both former Arizona athletes. His mom was a gymnast at Arizona and dad played baseball with the Wildcats. They raised Austin in Las Vegas, where he starred at Bishop Gorman High School.

Good luck to Austin Wells @wellsius16 (c/o ‘18) in today’s #MLBDraft This is an exciting for you and your family. Wishing you all the best. @ArizonaBaseball #MLBTrainingGround pic.twitter.com/qe3rV5vjUj

— BG Baseball (@gormanbaseball) June 10, 2020

Austin was selected by the New York Yankees in the 35th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school but opted to play for Jay Johnson and the Wildcats.

He is draft eligible although he is not a junior because he will turn 21 in July.

Wells’ profile with MLB scouts blossomed when he proved to be one of the top players in the Cape Cod League last summer. He batted .308 with seven home runs and eight stolen bases on eight attempts.

@ArizonaBaseball‘s Austin Wells, 28th overall pick, New York Yankees – assigned value of $2,493,900

— Damien Alameda (@damien_alameda) June 11, 2020

Although primarily a catcher, Wells’ versatility can allow him to play at different position. In the Cape Cod League, he logged time at five different defensive positions — catcher, first base and all outfield positions.

A majority of scouts consider Wells one of the best offensive college prospects in the draft.

Arizona Recruit Drafted

Arizona signee Nick Yorke, a second baseman out of San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty High School, was the No. 17 pick overall in the first round, going to the Boston Red Sox. Yorke batted .457 in his four-year career at Archbiship Mitty.

Nick Yorke is a really, really tough loss for Arizona. He flat out rakes and was going to look great in the Cats’ offense for three years. Instead, he’s headed to Boston

— Teddy Cahill (@tedcahill) June 11, 2020

Arizona Baseball First-Round Picks

Year	Pick	Player	Pos	Organization	Note
1965	9	Eddie Leon	SS	Minnesota Twins	Unsigned/MLB 6 years
1980	22	Terry Francona	OF	Montreal Expos	MLB 9 years
1985	18	Joe Magrane	LHP	St. Louis Cardinals	MLB 8 years
1989	24	Alan Zinter	C	New York Mets	MLB 2 years
1990	23	Lance Dickson	LHP	Chicago Cubs	MLB 1 year
2000	17	Ben Diggins	RHP	Los Angeles Dodgers	MLB 1 year
2003	15	Brian Anderson	OF	Chicago White Sox	MLB 6 years
2005	14	Trevor Crowe	OF	Cleveland Indians	MLB 4 years
2008	21	Ryan Perry	RHP	Detroit Tigers	MLB 4 years
2008	26	Daniel Schlereth	LHP	Arizona Diamondbacks	MLB 4 years
2015	19	Kevin Newman	SS	Pittsburgh Pirates	MLB 2 years
2020	28	Austin Wells	C	New York Yankees	--