Bleacher Report's stunning Yankees omission from rookie list will enrage NY fans

The AL Rookie of the Year race is a tight one. For a while, New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil was leading the way before he fell off a bit in the middle of the summer. His resurgence has brought him back into the conversation.

As for the others? Austin Wells is right behind him. Others would lobby for Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser or Red Sox centerfielder/shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela and right fielder Wilyer Abreu. There are definitely "options," but the Yankees youngsters are becoming the clear ones.

This past week, Bleacher Report decided to give fans a rundown of the entire rookie class. Big thanks to B/R ... except in their evaluation of "Handing Out Grades for Every Relevant MLB Rookie of the 2024 Season," they left one of the biggest names off the list.

Wells was somehow omitted! He's currently neck-and-neck with Luis Gil as the frontrunner for the AL ROY award! Come on, guys! He's also been the best hitting catcher in baseball since June! That doesn't qualify as "relevant"?!

In all likelihood, this was an honest mistake. But it was a costly one because Yankees fans aren't happy about it. On the bright side, Gil was ranked No. 2 and given an A- grade. We'll take that.

Bleacher Report's stunning Austin Wells omission from rookie list will enrage Yankees fans

Padres star Jackson Merill understandably topped the list, with Jackson Chourio (Brewers), Cowser, Paul Skenes (Pirates), Evan Carter (Rangers), Abreu (Red Sox), Shōta Imanaga (Cubs), Mason Miller (Athletics), Jackson Holliday (Orioles), James Wood (Nationals), Rafaela, Wyatt Langford (Rangers), Ben Joyce (Angels) and Masyn Winn (Cardinals) making up the 15 players evaluated.

In no world did we want to make this a conversation about Wells being "better" than his peers, but the fact he was excluded here despite out-playing an overwhelming majority of the position players is wild. He also plays an important position that gives teams a unique edge, if they have the right talent. He's been worth 1.4 dWAR (and 3.0 WAR overall) in just 108 games.

He has fallen off a bit offensively lately, particularly in September when he's hit .149 with a .482 OPS in 14 games, but he's delivered in multiple clutch situations and has been a savior defensively. He helped the Yankees clinch a playoff berth with an amazing heads-up play and he's thrown out 31.5% of base stealers.

A quick "edit" on this Bleacher Report article is all that's needed. Simple fix.