They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But can a retired catcher learn how to frame?
Brad Ausmus, a three-time Gold Glove winner behind the plate, has been getting a crash course on the skill since becoming the Yankees’ bench coach over the offseason. The organization appreciates the art of stealing strikes, which didn’t become mainstream until after Ausmus retired in 2010.
“I’m a little new to this catching style, the new framing style if you want to call it that,” said Ausmus, who played for 18 years before managing the Tigers and Angels between 2014 and 2019. “So I’m not dialed in on what is good. Because when I was catching, you didn’t want a lot of [glove hand] movement. Because of the information we’ve gotten, it’s flipped. And it’s flipped hard in the last few years. So I’m not really adept at recognizing whether it’s good or bad.”
Ausmus recently said that while trying to assess Austin Wells’ performance behind the plate.
Many assumed that Ausmus, considered a terrific defender, would shepherd Wells, who has been solid but is still developing as a backstop. Instead, it turns out that Ausmus has been learning from the rookie, at least when it comes to framing.
“That’s pretty funny because it has evolved so much in the last few years,” Wells said when told of Ausmus’ remarks. “But it’s been great having Brad around, and I think he’s gonna continue to be a great help to the catching group that we have. As he’s teaching us stuff about certain aspects of the game, we’re able to teach him some stuff, too, which I think is pretty cool. We’ve had a good dynamic so far.”
Wells isn’t the only one teaching the former All-Star, either.
“I sit next to [director of catching] Tanner Swanson, who does it and trains it, and I listen to him and he’s talking to catchers,” Ausmus said as he mimicked a catcher framing a pitch. “Even in-game, he’s giving them signals about their hand position stuff. So I’m still on the learning curve on that.”
While Ausmus is catching up on framing, he said he is offering Wells and others pointers “outside of the receiving realm,” aka throwing and game-calling advice.
Ausmus has also been impressed with Wells’ bat, which has produced a .300/.364/.600 slash line with three doubles, two homers and eight RBI this spring.
The expectation is that Wells, who offers power from the port side, will begin the season as the Yankees’ No. 2 catcher behind Jose Trevino, a Platinum Glove winner and one of the best framers in the game. But perhaps with some more help from Ausmus, those roles could shift as the season unfolds.
“He works his tail off,” Ausmus said. “He wants to be a catcher. He wants to be a very good catcher. I know he’s done well, from a statistical standpoint, defensively in spring training. If he keeps moving in that direction defensively and he swings the bat like he’s been swinging it, I think he’s destined to have a long career, especially being a left-handed hitting catcher.”
