Kip Wells
| IP | 1338 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.709 |
| WHIP | 1.513 |
| BB/9 | 4.271 |
| SO/9 | 6.478 |
- Full name Robert Kip Wells
- Born 04/21/1977 in Houston, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Baylor
- Debut 08/02/1999
- Drafted in the 1st round (16th overall) by the Chicago White Sox in 1998 (signed for $1,495,000).
Top Rankings
Minor League Top Prospects
-
Birmingham's starting pitching staff was nearly an interchangeable assortment of prospects. Four Barons starters received serious Top 10 consideration. Wells, who stayed unsigned well into last winter after being drafted in 1998, passed everyone and landed on a shuttle to the big leagues. Counting two major league wins, Wells had 15 for the season with a couple of weeks left in Chicago. He went 8-2 in the Southern League. -
With a fastball that tops out around 94 mph and a nasty, knee-bending curve that managers voted the best in the league, Wells was worth the wait for the White Sox. He was the 16th player taken overall in the 1998 draft but the next-to-last first-rounder to sign. He waited until December, made his pro debut with Winston-Salem in April and reached the big leagues in July, winning his first two games for the White Sox. "His promotion to the big league club speaks for itself," Winston-Salem manager Jerry Terrell said. "He earned it." Wells used an overpowering fastball to advance quickly through the White Sox system. He struck out 14 Myrtle Beach batters in one start for the Warthogs, then made a brief stop at Double-A Birmingham before receiving a big league callup. He went 8-2, 2.94 in Double-A. "You've got a young kid here who's gone through three levels of baseball in one year," Salem manager Ron Gideon said. "He already knows how to pitch."
