Post columnist Steve Serby caught up with Yankees catcher Austin Wells for some big league Q&A.

Q: Have the doubters motivated you?

A: Yeah, absolutely. Since I’ve been drafted [28th overall in the 2020 first round], it’s always been about my catching. That’s really put a chip on my shoulder and kind of lit a fire under me. It’s not like I’m out there reading about it, but you hear about it all the time whether you want to or not, and that’s the power of the media nowadays. When it’s been such a continual negative about how I am as a catcher, it only just fires me up to want to be the best I possibly can. So where I’ve gotten to the point now and the progress that I’ve made had been not only the success of the hard work that I’ve put in with my coaches, but the fire that’s been lit under me since I’ve been drafted about being adamant about being a catcher.

Q: A catcher has to be a psychologist at times. How do you go about gaining the trust of your pitcher?

A: For me, I learned over the years that being as prepared as possible for the pitchers, is how you gain their trust. Because you know their stuff, and you know the hitters you’re facing, and I think the more that they get to throw to you and they trust that you’re prepared to call the pitch, the more they’re gonna have conviction and intent behind what you call. And I think that’s just really how you gain their trust over time, and obviously relationships in the clubhouse and all that stuff adds to it.

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Austin Wells said that being prepared for pitchers helps gain their trust.Charles Wenzelberg
Q: What have you learned about Carlos Rodon’s temperament on the mound?

A: You can see he’s up there giving it his all every single time he goes out there. That’s exactly the guy that I want to be working with behind the plate. There’s a lot of times when he’s out there and he gets fired up, and as a catcher you gotta be able in any way try to get him back into the zone, whatever the situation is, calm him down, tell him to be loose, just take some breaths. Getting to work with a guy like Carlos who’s had a lot of success, for me, going into my rookie really experience year this year, it’s unbelievable getting to work with a guy like that. And a competitor like that, too, who I know is gonna go out there and he’s gonna try and dominate every time.

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Carlos Rodon and Austin Wills walk next to each other before the Yankees faced the Diamondbacks in a September 2023 game.Jason Szenes for the NY Post
Q: How about Marcus Stroman’s temperament on the mound?

A: I’d say pretty much the opposite of Carlos. He is relaxed as you can be up there. I haven’t seen his full Stro Show yet, which I’m waiting for some real games, I’m really excited for that. I really love how he goes about his game, and just the way he moves and how athletic he is on the mound. It adds such a great feel to the pitching staff that we have. I’m looking forward to his success this year.

Q: Nasty Nestor Cortes’ temperament?

A: I would say he’s probably more on the Stroman side. He’s definitely relaxed, but it’s more of a fired-up relaxed. He’s going after the hitters with intent, and he’s trying to get fired up for it, but I don’t think he’s got the fire on the side like Carlos does. But I think that helps him stay calm and just pitch.

Q: Gerrit Cole?

A: He’s similar to Carlos, he’s the ultimate competitor, he’s gonna go out there and give you 120 percent every single time, no matter what. I’ve had limited experience with him, but being around him, getting to work with him the few times this spring, you know, he’s the Cy Young winner and arguably the best pitcher in the game. Like I said with Carlos, and all these guys really, getting to work with such a staff who’s had great success in the big leagues and then building trust with them, I think that gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and have success as well.

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Austin Wells described Gerrit Cole as “arguably the best pitcher in the game.”Charles Wenzelberg
Q: Clarke Schmidt’s temperament?

A: Clarke is like a swaggy feel on the mound. He’s gonna blow you away with some stuff, but he’s also gonna spin it, and he’s gonna get you out front. … There’s no other word besides swag I got for him, and I love the way he presents himself on the mound because him too, he’s a competitor and he’s gonna go out there and give it his all just like everyone else. But for him, I feel like you can throw him in any situation, and it’s gonna look the same whether we’re up 10, down 10, big inning, low-leverage inning, he’s gonna be the same guy.

Q: The history of Yankees catchers. What do you recall about Jorge Posada?

A: Growing up, I wasn’t really a Yankees fan, but always knowing that Jorge Posada was one of the best catchers arguably in Yankee history and baseball. That was a great guy to get to be able to watch growing up, and I definitely was a fan of his game and how he played. He played with passion and fire, and getting to watch that as a young kid, I think that’s special.

Q: What do you know about Thurman Munson?

A: I never got to see him play, obviously, but I just hear great things about what he was able to accomplish in his young career. I like what people have said about him in that I would like to be someone compared to that. Being able to be among the ranks of a guy like that, I think that’s be a great honor.

Q: How about Yogi Berra?

A: I just actually watched his documentary on Netflix. They gave a lot of great background stories to him being able to serve [our coountry], and then be able to play. You can’t get better than that, I think 10 World Series, right? Ten World Series, a couple of MVPs, Yankee catcher … I mean, I think that sounds pretty good.

Q: Joe Torre was in uniform Monday.

A: He’s a legend in the game, and having him come out there to take Carlos out and even to be on the mound with him, very special. There’s not many words that can describe that.

Q: Has he given you any catching tips?

A: I got to talk to him a little bit before the game [a week ago] Saturday, but not too much about catching. He was just saying how he loved catchers and loved catching. It’s a whole different game, he said, being a catcher on the baseball field.

Q: What part of your game do you think you’ve made the biggest strides in?

A: Receiving. I think being able to receive has become such an important part of the game over the last few years, and here at the Yankees, we have the best coaches that are in the game, really. We have Tanner Swanson, who really started this whole thing, and we got Aaron Gershenfeld and Aaron Bossi, who are two key parts of making me who I am now as a catcher, and the focus really was receiving for me. And I think the steps that I’ve made every year have continued to allow me to get better.

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Austin Wells cited receiving as the area of his game where he made the biggest stride.Charles Wenzelberg
Q: Where do you think you need to improve?

A: I’d like to continue to show improvement with throwing runners out. We made a lot of progress this offseason, and I’m looking forward to showing off a little bit here when the season gets going and trying to see some progress with that.

Q: How are you on your framing?

A: I feel like I’m in a really, really good spot. The numbers are coming back really well. Everything’s trending up. I can attribute that to the work that was put in over the last few years, and this offseason especially.

Q: Describe your on-field mentality.

A: Definitely an aggressive player, and I’m looking to motivate my teammates around me. … I’m just like looking to bring the best out of my teammates with like a fiery competitiveness.

Q: What drives you?

A: Winning. I like to win. And I think when you play to win, you don’t play for just yourself, you’re playing for all the success of your teammates, and being able to hold them and yourself accountable to winning, I think that just creates a culture that’s built around success. Everyone likes winning. I hate losing.

Q: If you could catch any pitcher in MLB history, who would you want to catch and why?

A: I think I would go with Mariano Rivera, and I think I would go with him because he won a lot of baseball games and I like to win, so I would love to be behind the plate with him coming in to the game to close it out and get the win. That’s my reasoning.