Ben Rice has made it clear that he has a legitimate, mid-range bat.
Austin Wells has made it clear that he is a legitimate big league catcher.
If the Yankees could combine the two players into one, they might have one of the best all-around catchers in the game.
Instead, the next challenge remains to let the rest of their games catch up to their current strengths as the Yankees try to make the most of Rice and Wells in the same lineup.
Except for a period in August when Rice threatened to take over the bulk of the starts behind the plate, Wells spent the season as a full-time Yankees catcher.
Rice’s bat led him to start eight more games (120) than Wells (112), due to his ability to play first base and a heavy dose of DH early in the season when Giancarlo Stanton was injured.
The Yankees may not want to completely rule out Rice’s future as a catcher just yet, but the easiest solution for Rice to be in the lineup every day next year is as their starting first baseman, with Paul Goldschmidt heading to free agency.
The 26-year-old Rice hit .255 with 26 home runs and an .836 OPS, and continued to hit the ball hard — his average exit velocity of 90.3 mph ranked ninth among qualified hitters — wherever the Yankees placed him.
Defensively, he had the weakest throwing arm of the Yankees’ three catchers, and graded as a below-average framer, but largely held his own in limited action.
He made strides at first base throughout the year, though he still struggled with firsts and certain nuances that come with more reps at the position.
“What he did was unbelievable,” Goldschmidt said. “I didn’t really see him play last year, so I didn’t know what to expect. But he hit for us from start to finish this year and was great. But the tough thing for him was that the first few months he didn’t play any position outside of the spot here and there, and by the end of the year he was playing great defense as a catcher and great at first base.”
Goldschmidt, speaking after the Yankees were eliminated from the ALDS, pointed to Rice’s work before Game 4.
He was no longer in the starting lineup, but caught a bullpen session and then threw off his catcher’s tackle to pick up ground balls at first base – a common occurrence throughout the season as Rice continued to do his job of staying sharp at both positions.
“That’s incredibly difficult to do,” Goldschmidt said. “Just a guy who continues to learn and get better. I’m sure he’s even gotten better batting-wise. … A great asset to this organization, whether he continues to play two positions or just one.”
That could be intertwined with the future of Wells, the former first-round pick who actually made a bigger impact with his defense in his first two seasons in the major leagues.
Wells is coming off a season in which he hit just .219 with a .712 OPS and 21 home runs in 126 games – numbers that were lowered by a rough two-month stretch that lasted until mid-August, when Rice began to get more starts behind the plate, before Wells rebounded with a strong finish.
Over his career, he is a .224 hitter with a .717 OPS over 260 games.
The Yankees were willing to live with that kind of offensive production because of the strides Wells has taken behind the plate (while still believing there was more to it with his bat).
Pitchers consistently praised Wells for his game-calling all season, while his framing — which the Yankees value highly, and should still have a place in the game despite the automated ball-strike system coming to the majors next season — ranked third among all catchers.
“I really have a lot of confidence in him there,” manager Aaron Boone said during the ALDS.
If the Yankees make Rice their full-time first baseman, that would likely mean bringing a third catcher (a true backup to Wells) on board, as they did with J.C. Escarra for most of this season.
Having all three catchers hit left-handed wasn’t particularly optimal, so it’s possible the Yankees are also looking for a right-swinging catcher to add to the mix.
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