John Wesley
| IP | 191 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.911 |
| WHIP | 1.351 |
| BB/9 | 3.487 |
| SO/9 | 9.754 |
- Full name John D. Wesley
- Born 10/14/1980 in Flushing, NY
- Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 263 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School W.T. Clarke
- Drafted in the 25th round (754th overall) by the New York Mets in 1998.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
Wesley's size and fastball made him an intriguing signing, much to the chagrin of South Carolina coaches who viewed him as their 2003 closer. His injury-plagued background helps explain why a big righthander with a dominating 96 mph fastball didn't get drafted. An accomplished auto mechanic, Wesley spent one year at Brevard (Fla.) Junior College (which no longer has a program) before joining the Gamecocks, where he overcame a knee injury to earn three saves as a sophomore. He got a medical redshirt in 2001, when he had arm problems stemming from looseness in his shoulder. His 2002 season also was affected, as he came back too soon from offseason surgery to tighten his shoulder capsule and didn't pitch from early March until mid-May. When he returned, he had lost his closer job but worked himself back into game shape and pitched critical, effective innings in regional and super-regional play. He threw in a dominating relief effort in the College World Series against Nebraska to further entice the Blue Jays. Wesley is yet another mid-90s arm if he can hold up, and Toronto plans to use him strictly in a relief role as he gets into better shape. His fastball has good life, and he also throws a curveball and good splitter. He uses his size and fastball to change planes well at the top and bottom of the strike zone.
