TAMPA — Gerrit Cole threw his first live batting practice of spring training Wednesday and had a new backstop in tow.
Austin Wells caught the reigning AL Cy Young winner for his 36-pitch outing after working with him for the first time in a bullpen session earlier this week.
“It was fun,” Cole said. “Uneventful.”
That’s typically a good thing for a battery, marking a good first impression for Wells, who began the relationship-building process with Cole last September during his late-season call-up.
Wells did not catch Cole at all that month — Ben Rortvedt served as his catcher, with Jose Trevino on the injured list — but spent time picking his brain and “trying to be as attentive as possible” when Cole was on the mound.
That process has continued early this spring, with Wells trying to get a better feel for why Cole wants to throw which pitches in certain counts.
The two are expected to get more work together, especially with Trevino missing the first week or two of Grapefruit League games because of a calf strain.
“Gerrit’s made a point to want to get with [Wells] a little bit down here, especially early,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But yeah, I thought it went pretty seamless.”
Trevino — known for his preparation and top-notch work with pitchers — is still likely to catch Cole on most occasions during the regular season.
But having Wells build a foundation with the ace this spring is important, especially because his bat has the potential to make the Yankees’ lineup even deeper during the season.
“For where we’re at now, the best thing I can do is be prepared,” Wells said. “Doing as best I can to be prepared to call the pitches and when the situation gets tight, not having to guess which pitch to call, that’s important. I think that’ll make more pitchers on the staff trust me and want to throw to me. That’s my goal.”
There were questions about Wells’ defense during his rise through the minor leagues, but he went a long way in trying to answer them during his call-up last September.
“He’s kind of come up and — I never saw him bad,” Cole said. “I thought right away, his game-calling was exceptional. He came right in against the Astros … we won the series and he caught all the games. He’s obviously really intelligent and physically was solid. Good catcher.”
Wells was appreciative of the praise.
“It gives me confidence and the more I catch him, the more confidence that I have too, just to be able to help be the battery with him and be there to help guide him and him guide me as well,” Wells said. “I’m looking forward to continuing that relationship and continuing to build hopefully his trust.”
Nestor Cortes said he was feeling good Wednesday a day after throwing 44 pitches in live batting practice, though he had the day off from throwing.