Vernon Wells
| AB | 6642 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .27 |
| OBP | .319 |
| SLG | .459 |
| HR | 270 |
- Full name Vernon Wells
- Born 12/08/1978 in Shreveport, LA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Bowie
- Debut 08/30/1999
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Drafted in the 1st round (5th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 (signed for $1,600,000).
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Texas' only consensus first-round pick out of high school is Wells, whose style of play reminds scouts of Cardinals OF Ron Gant. Wells has great athletic ability and plus tools across the board. Wells is one of several top prospects committed to Texas, which is making a bold attempt to restore its lost glory.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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When Wells was drafted fifth overall in 1997, some chided the Blue Jays for basing their first-round choice on signability more than talent. Wells, who had agreed to a predraft deal, started his career in fine fashion in the short-season New York-Penn League and had a solid first full season in 1998 with Class A Hagerstown. But he did nothing to prepare the baseball world for 1999. Wells batted a combined .334-18-81 between Class A Dunedin, Double-A Knoxville and Triple-A Syracuse and was named the No. 1 prospect in the Florida State, Southern and International leagues--a Baseball America first. He finished with a solid month in Toronto, raising expectations for the son of the former NFL wide receiver of the same name. But he received just two big league at-bats in 2000 and struggled with the bat in Triple-A. Wells has the best tools in the system, and his five-tool package is among the best in the minor leagues. He's a true center fielder with an accurate, above-average arm and excellent range, and he has good instincts for the position. Offensively, his speed and instincts make him an above-average basestealer, and he has plus power to all fields. Wells was caught stealing just four times, and he hit .272-12-35 with a .545 slugging percentage in his final 209 Triple-A at-bats. Wells had never struggled before, but he was hitting .220 with four homers on July 1. Rumors abounded about his dissatisfaction with being sent back to Triple-A, and that his frustration was affecting his play. Blue Jays officials refute that contention, saying Wells took the news well. They attribute part of his poor showing to bad luck. They also agreed his struggles probably will be good for him. Wells was the player other teams asked for in deals during the season, but the Blue Jays wisely held on to their No. 1 prospect. Toronto center fielder Jose Cruz Jr. doesn't field as well as Wells, and his offensive performance shouldn't be enough to block Wells for another year. If Cruz makes it through the winter with the organization, it's up to Wells to have a big spring to force his way onto the big league club. -
Background: To say Wells had an incredible and unprecedented run since the end of 1998 would not be stretching the truth. He has appeared on 10 rosters during that time: Sydney in the Australian League, Blue Jays spring training, Class A Dunedin, Florida State League all-star game, the U.S. team for the Futures Game, Double-A Knoxville, Triple-A Syracuse, Toronto, instructional league and Peoria in the Arizona Fall League. Wells was voted the No. 1 prospect in the FSL, the Southern League and the International League, an unprecedented honor. Wells' big league debut included a four-hit game, and he led the AFL in extra-base hits to cap off his run. Wells' father played professional football, and Wells himself could have had his choice of nationally ranked football schools out of high school. Strengths: Baseball executives love to say the sport is losing athletes like Wells to football and basketball. He has a rare combination of speed, power, balance and athletic presence. He has a short, compact swing that should guarantee a high average at all times. Wells' speed is above-average but he has a strong, loping stride that gives him deceptive quickness both on the bases and in center field. His instincts are strong in center field, and he has an accurate throwing arm with above-average strength. Wells' makeup has served him well in handling his rapid advancement. Weaknesses: Wells hasn't learned to loft the ball for consistent home run power, and any 400-foot drives he hits are more a matter of overpowering the ball with pure bat speed and physical strength. The Blue Jays would like to see him continue to become more aggressive on the bases and in tracking balls in center. The Future: Scouts say Wells still has plenty of room to improve. The Blue Jays have tried to keep their expectations realistic, pointing to his age and still-evolving feel for the game. Although he started in the big leagues much of September, Wells probably will start 2000 in Triple-A while the Blue Jays give Jose Cruz Jr. one more shot at becoming a regular center fielder. -
Background: Wells' father, Vernon Jr., played wide receiver in the NFL and Canadian Football League and is now an artist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Wells was an all-American football player, as well as a baseball player, at Arlington's Bowie High. Strengths: Wells shows all the signs of being a big-time hitter. He is strong with a quick, powerful bat and an excellent eye. He does not chase bad pitches. Wells has the speed to play center field and a strong enough arm for right. Weaknesses: Wells needs to be more aggressive, particularly on the bases. He was only 13-for-21 in stolen bases this year, far below where his abilities should take him. He still has problems with offspeed and breaking pitches, not unusual for young power hitters. The Future: Wells will start 1999 at Dunedin. Likely to eventually carry more than 210 pounds, he figures to wind up in right field, which shouldn't be a problem.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Either Wells is all hype, or he's going to be a much better player in the major leagues than he was in the minors. He was No. 1 on this list in 1999, but he has followed up with two ho-hum seasons at Syracuse. His numbers weren't awful, but they weren't exactly in the Dunn or Hall category either. Still, the Blue Jays refused to trade Wells, preferring to shop Shannon Stewart and Jose Cruz Jr. instead to make room in their outfield for the defensively gifted Wells. The Blue Jays will likely deal one of those veterans in the offseason. Then we'll find out if Wells is the star the Blue Jays believe he'll be, with five tools and 30-30 potential, or closer to the .267 hitter he was in two-plus years at Syracuse. His plate discipline and basestealing skills regressed in 2001. "In my opinion, Vernon will be better up here than he ever was in the minor leagues," Toronto manager Buck Martinez said. "He just thrives on the atmosphere of the major leagues." -
If Wells had finished the 1999 season where he started it, with Dunedin in the Class A Florida State League, then his 2000 season with Syracuse would have looked a lot better. But Wells raised his bar last year, when he climbed from Dunedin to Double-A Knoxville to Syracuse and to the Blue Jays. The expectations were high, and Wells—ranked as the game's fourth-best prospect at the start of the season–didn’t meet them. Still, Wells remains one of baseball’s top young talents. He’s a legitimate five-tool guy, though like Bradley he’s still refining his skills. Several teams asked for Wells in trade talks, and the Blue Jays repeatedly turned them down. Why? "His tools. His age," Syracuse manager Mel Queen said. "There's still a lot of room for improvement, and he's got the ability to do that." What most impressed Queen was Wells' ability to separate his defense from his early-season slump. Wells was batting .220 on July 1, but he always was brilliant in center. "He has the ability to play shallow but still prevent balls from going over his head," Queen said. "He gets a very good jump on the ball and reads the ball very well." -
A nearly unanimous selection as the FSL's top prospect, Wells began the year in the Sunshine State and was north of the border even before September callups. The center fielder impressed managers with his tools and his desire to use his talents, which include all five tools in abundance. "This guy can hurt you with a home run, double, bunt, a great play in the outfield, his arm," Jupiter manager Luis Dorante said. "You don't see many guys like him with all those plus tools." As for Wells' hitting, Dorante said: "He'll hurt you if you leave the breaking ball up. He doesn't have a lot of holes (in his swing), but it seems like he's guessing at times." Although Wells reached the majors this season, it may take a few years before he reaches his projected potential. "I think eventually you've got to put him as another Shawn Green," St. Petersburg manager Roy Silver said. "But you can't put a strong label on him without saying, 'Not yet.' " -
As Wells dominated the FSL early in the year, people talked about him reaching the big leagues by September 2000. Wells made it by September, all right--this September. He capped his dazzling, one-year climb through the organization in late August, when he was promoted to Toronto and inserted as the Blue Jays' starting center fielder. Before reaching the majors, he moved from Class A Dunedin (70 games) to Double-A Knoxville (24) to Syracuse (33), batting a combined .329-18-78 with 23 stolen bases. Wells, still just 20, spent only a month in the IL. But every manager who saw him put him at or near the top of the list. "I've only seen him play a few times, but he makes my top five," Richmond manager Randy Ingle said. "He stands out. He's got a 20-year-old body, but from what I see he's got a 35-year experience mentality." -
Wells left a .340 average behind in Knoxville after beginning the year with a .343 mark in the Class A Florida State League. He went on to Triple-A Syracuse, hit .310 there, then ran into major league pitching (.167) in the final month. "I can compare him to Andruw Jones at a comparable stage," said Greenville Braves manager Paul Runge, who can compare Jones, having managed him during a similarly meteoric rise. "He's a five-tool player and he's already in the big leagues." "He's just a natural talent," Orlando Rays manager Bill Russell said. "He could run, get good jumps on the ball in the outfield. Offensively, he did not have a bad at-bat against us. He wasn't fooled by anything."
Top 100 Rankings
Scouting Reports
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If Wells had finished the 1999 season where he started it, with Dunedin in the Class A Florida State League, then his 2000 season with Syracuse would have looked a lot better. But Wells raised his bar last year, when he climbed from Dunedin to Double-A Knoxville to Syracuse and to the Blue Jays. The expectations were high, and Wells—ranked as the game's fourth-best prospect at the start of the season–didn’t meet them. Still, Wells remains one of baseball’s top young talents. He’s a legitimate five-tool guy, though like Bradley he’s still refining his skills. Several teams asked for Wells in trade talks, and the Blue Jays repeatedly turned them down. Why? "His tools. His age," Syracuse manager Mel Queen said. "There's still a lot of room for improvement, and he's got the ability to do that." What most impressed Queen was Wells' ability to separate his defense from his early-season slump. Wells was batting .220 on July 1, but he always was brilliant in center. "He has the ability to play shallow but still prevent balls from going over his head," Queen said. "He gets a very good jump on the ball and reads the ball very well." -
A nearly unanimous selection as the FSL's top prospect, Wells began the year in the Sunshine State and was north of the border even before September callups. The center fielder impressed managers with his tools and his desire to use his talents, which include all five tools in abundance. "This guy can hurt you with a home run, double, bunt, a great play in the outfield, his arm," Jupiter manager Luis Dorante said. "You don't see many guys like him with all those plus tools." As for Wells' hitting, Dorante said: "He'll hurt you if you leave the breaking ball up. He doesn't have a lot of holes (in his swing), but it seems like he's guessing at times." Although Wells reached the majors this season, it may take a few years before he reaches his projected potential. "I think eventually you've got to put him as another Shawn Green," St. Petersburg manager Roy Silver said. "But you can't put a strong label on him without saying, 'Not yet.' " -
Background: Wells' father, Vernon Jr., played wide receiver in the NFL and Canadian Football League and is now an artist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Wells was an all-American football player, as well as a baseball player, at Arlington's Bowie High. Strengths: Wells shows all the signs of being a big-time hitter. He is strong with a quick, powerful bat and an excellent eye. He does not chase bad pitches. Wells has the speed to play center field and a strong enough arm for right. Weaknesses: Wells needs to be more aggressive, particularly on the bases. He was only 13-for-21 in stolen bases this year, far below where his abilities should take him. He still has problems with offspeed and breaking pitches, not unusual for young power hitters. The Future: Wells will start 1999 at Dunedin. Likely to eventually carry more than 210 pounds, he figures to wind up in right field, which shouldn't be a problem.
