New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that catcher Austin Wells will bat lead-off on Opening Day this Thursday in the Bronx against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The decision, which was told on the Talkin’ Yanks podcast, is a historic one. The Yankees have never had a catcher lead off a regular-season game in their 122-year history.
“It’s always been, ‘You gotta have the speed guy first,'” Boone said. “I don’t know if that makes much sense. I want the guy that gets on base. The best hitting first.”
Wells, 25, becomes the primary table-setter for the reigning AL MVP, Aaron Judge, who has carved his spot within the Bronx Bombers’ lineup in the No. 2 spot. He has shown all the tools necessary to take over at the lead-off spot during spring training, batting .372 with a .426 on-base percentage, six home runs, and 12 RBI in just 15 games.
His big spring only confirmed what Boone had suspected earlier this month.
“I think he’s going to be a guy in his career that is going to get on base,” Boone said two weeks ago. “That’s my No. 1 criteria for the leadoff spot. I’m not saying I’m going to land on him in the leadoff spot, either. It’s just something that I’m looking at.”
The catcher even has some speed to work with, too, which used to be that pre-requisite to bat at the top of any MLB lineup, which Boone alluded to. Wells has 40 career stolen bases on 43 attempts across both the minors and majors. He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting last season, batting .229 with a .718, 13 home runs, and 55 RBI in 115 games
