Why Austin Wells is getting more WBC attention than Dominican Republic's stars

The Dominican Republic has perhaps the best lineup in World Baseball Classic history. Their starting lineup includes perennial MVP candidates like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto and Ketel Marte. Geraldo Perdomo, a player who finished fourth in the NL MVP balloting in 2026, hits ninth for this team, speaking to how absurdly deep and talented the Dominican Republic lineup is. Yet, despite all the talent on the roster, it feels like Austin Wells has been the center of attention throughout the WBC.

Yes, that Austin Wells. The New York Yankees' catcher, who was born and went to school in Arizona. That Austin Wells has been getting more attention than the stars on the DR team. There are a couple of reasons why.

Austin Wells hit a WBC record-tying home run

A lot of it has to do with his play. In a lineup full of stars, Wells has surprisingly been among the best hitters the DR has to offer. The catcher only has three hits in 12 at-bats, but he's drawn a pair of walks, and he's hit two of the Dominicans' 14 home runs in the tournament. In fact, Wells hit the 14th home run of the tournament for the DR, not only clinching a seven-inning victory over Korea, but also tying a WBC record in the process.

Wells has the eighth-most at-bats on the Dominican roster during the WBC, yet he's tied for the team lead in home runs. Again, he might not have the resume the others do, but Wells' play has helped him get a lot of attention. That alone doesn't explain it all, though. Wells has been getting a lot of attention because it's fascinating that he's even on the DR roster to begin with. He doesn't look like someone who should be on that team, yet he is.

Why is Austin Wells playing for the Dominican Republic in the WBC?

This boils down to the WBC's eligibility rules. While, of course, Wells would've been eligible to play for Team USA had manager Mark DeRosa wanted him to, his familial ties to the Dominican Republic allows him to also play for the DR.

This is fairly common. Nolan Arenado's mother is Puerto Rican, so, after playing for Team USA twice in the WBC, Arenado played for Puerto Rico this time around. Marcus Stroman is another example who played for the USA and then joined Puerto Rico to honor his mother. Even Adam Ottavino, who has Italian roots, pitched for Italy, then the USA, and is now a part of Italy again. Most of the players on the Italy roster were born in the United States but have connections to Italy that allow them to play for that country in the WBC.

Wells' mother, Michelle Fernandez, is Dominican, as both of her parents were born in the country. This, alone, gives Wells the opportunity to play for the Dominican Republic, even though he's never lived there and doesn't even speak Spanish fluently.

"My mom's parents are Dominican, so that's how I'm connected there. Obviously very excited about this opportunity. Have a lot of family still down here in the Dominican, so it's been a really cool couple of months leading up to this,"Wells said when discussing his Dominican Republic WBC eligibility.

Not only is playing for the Dominican team a way for Wells to honor his mother, but clearly, it's a way for him to gain more notoriety among baseball fans all over the globe. It's been a lot of fun watching Wells play well and have fun with his Dominican teammates while doing it. Beating the USA and having a big moment or two would only cap off what's been a thrilling tournament for Wells.

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