Ben Wells
| IP | 330 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.845 |
| WHIP | 1.379 |
| BB/9 | 3.818 |
| SO/9 | 6.164 |
- Full name Ben Lewis Wells
- Born 09/10/1992 in North Little Rock, AR
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Bryant
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Drafted in the 7th round (220th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2010 (signed for $530,000).
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Ben Wells pitched at 84-87 mph most of his amateur career, but by the end of this spring he was throwing 90-94 mph and pitching a five-inning perfect game in the state 7-A championship game. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound righthander has a good feel for pitching, too, as he pounds the strike zone with a three-pitch mix that also includes a hard slider and splitter. He committed to Crowder (Mo.) JC and now is drawing attention from Southeastern Conference schools. Wells has the size and stuff to go in the first five rounds of the draft, though he may not have been scouted extensively enough to go that high.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Wells had a strong bounceback year in 2013, pitching as one of the most consistent starters for high Class A Daytona, which was honored as the BA Minor League Team of the Year. Signed out of an Arkansas high school for $530,000 in 2010, Wells had his progress interrupted by an elbow injury that limited him to 45 innings in 2012. He didn't need surgery, however, and returned to full duty in 2013 and led Daytona with 112 innings. That's even though the Cubs tapered his workload in the second half, using him for just four outings in August and shutting him down during the Florida State League playoffs. Wells had gotten his work in, focusing on fastball location and throwing his changeup at least 10 percent of the time. His fastball runs up to 91-93 mph at times, but he mostly pitched at 89-90 in 2013 with plus sink. He generated 2.3 groundouts for every out in the air, the ninth-best ratio among minor league ERA title qualifiers. Wells' fringe-average changeup has similar sinking action to his fastball, and his fringe-average slider also helps him get early-count soft contact. He has a big frame, though his arm action makes some scouts doubt his potential for durability. He has to monitor his conditioning and could develop more consistent low-90s velocity if he does. He will either be the fifth starter at Double-A Tennessee in 2014 or return to Daytona to anchor the FSL rotation. -
Wells was unknown to all but a few area scouts until shortly before the 2010 draft, when his fastball jumped about 5 mph and he threw a five-inning perfect game in the Arkansas 7-A high school championship game. The Cubs took him in the seventh round and signed him at the deadline for $530,000. Though he faced limited competition as an amateur, he survived against older hitters when he made his pro debut at Boise last summer. Wells' weapon of choice is a heavy sinker that helped him post a 3.8 groundout/airout ratio in 2011. He threw it mostly at 87-90 mph early in the season before sitting at 90-94 in August. His hard slider shows flashes of becoming a plus pitch and his changeup has a chance to be a solid third offering. While Wells has a soft body, he's athletic and repeats his delivery well, giving him good control. He has uncommon mound presence for a teenager, which will come in handy when he advances to low Class A in 2012. -
Wells was a late bloomer, spending most of his high school career pitching at 84-87 mph. His fastball jumped to 90-95 mph with sink right before the draft, and he threw a five-inning perfect game in the state 7-A finals. A handful of teams quietly followed Wells, who might have gone in the first three rounds had he been thoroughly crosschecked. He signed at the Aug. 16 deadline for $530,000. Wells backs up his fastball with a hard slider that has a chance to be a plus pitch, and he throws a splitter as well. He quickly picked up a changeup after reporting to instructional league, so Chicago may scrap the splitter. He's athletic and repeats his delivery well, though he's going to have to work to make sure his 6-foot-3, 230-pound body doesn't go soft on him. Wells' performance in minor league camp will determine whether he makes his pro debut at Peoria or short-season Boise.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Wells pitches mainly off his fastball, and spent much of 2011 trying to achieve a balance between velocity and movement. Early in the season, he sat at 87-91 mph with his heavy two-seamer. As the year went on, he learned how to get the best of both worlds, peaking at 94 while maintaining above-average sink. "He's just an absolute gamer," Boise manager Mark Johnson said. "I wish I had five starters like that. He's going to be something special. I haven't seen a sinker like his in a while, it's just a power sinker that he can throw over and over and over." Wells flashes an average changeup at times, though his curveball is below average. While he has a fleshy build with some baby fat remaining on his frame, he has a loose arm and throws strikes.
