With the 28th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Yankees selected catcher Austin Wells from the University of Arizona.

It marks the second time in the last three years that the Bombers selected a catcher with their first-round pick, joining Anthony Seigler in 2018.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Wells, a Las Vegas native, is the 27th-ranked prospect according to MLB.com.

"We are very happy to get Austin Wells today," said Yankees Vice President of Domestic Amateur Scouting, Damon Oppenheimer. "We thought he was one of the top hit and power combinations in the draft. We love his desire and makeup, along with his athleticism. We have known him for years and seen him progress quite a bit behind the plate to allow us to believe he can be an impact guy."

Entering the first round of the draft, there had been a thought that the Yankees would go with a starting pitcher in the first round to join the ranks of Clarke Schmidt, Deivi Garcia, and T.J. Sikkema, among others. Instead, New York went for a power-hitting catcher.

Wells, a left-hander in the batter's box, hit .375 with two home runs and 17 RBI during his sophomore season with the Wildcats, a season in which he started just 15 games due to the coronavirus pandemic stopping play.

In 2019, he hit .353 with a .552 slugging percentage to go along with five home runs and 60 RBI in 56 starts, earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors.

The Yankees have clearly had their eyes on Wells, as they also drafted him in the 35th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, though he elected not to sign to instead enroll at the University of Arizona.

The last time the Yankees selected 28th overall was in 2008, when they selected Gerrit Cole, who ultimately didn't sign and was later selected by the Pirates with the first overall pick in 2011.

Austin Wells' 2019 numbers at Arizona, which earned him Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors:

◾️ 5 HR
◾️ 60 RBI
◾️ .353 BA
◾️ 1.104 OPSpic.twitter.com/dUgKGAsPoi
- Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 11, 2020

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