Nick Wells Stats & Scouting Report

IP	19.2
ERA	3.66
WHIP	1.17
BB/9	3.2
SO/9	10.07

Full name Nicholas David Wells
Born 02/21/1996 in Alexandria, VA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Battlefield
Drafted in the 3rd round (83rd overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014 (signed for $661,800).

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In a banner year for high school pitching in Virginia, Wells is the headlining lefthander. And while many of the other Virginia prep arms are on the smaller side, Wells has a large frame and lean, projectable build at 6-foot-5, 180 pounds. After showing mid-80s velocity and touching 89 mph last fall, he has been consistently around 87-91 mph this spring, touching 93. From a drop and drive delivery, he has a quick arm and the ball jumps out of his hand. His curveball shows plus potential and he can vary the shape of the offering. He rarely uses his changeup. He's athletic and throws enough strikes to project him to have average control. Wells will likely be in play in the top three to four rounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Wells' projectable stuff and body encouraged the Blue Jays enough to take him in the third round of the 2014 draft, and the Mariners acquired him just more than a year later, sending Mark Lowe to Toronto for Wells and two others. The Virginia native has some present ability but is still more of a project than he is a prospect. He pitches mostly in the upper 80s, but can reach as high as 93 mph. His long curveball is his bread and butter, a potential above-average pitch with vertical shape and mid-70s velocity. He also throws a more slurvy breaking ball in the low 80s, and he mixes his breaking pitches well to keep hitters guessing. Wells' changeup also has potential, and some scouts project it as an average pitch. He has control of his arsenal, and while nothing about him is explosive, the sum of his parts makes him a true starting pitching prospect, though toward the back of a rotation. He's a candidate to jump to full-season ball in 2016.
Long, lean and lanky, Wells has a large frame that scouts can dream on, and he took off in the spring of his senior season when his fastball sat at 87-91 mph and touched 93 with glove-side run. Signed for $661,800 as a third-round pick, Wells could see his velocity increase given his projectable, wideshouldered build and arm speed. His top secondary offering is a big-breaking curveball that shows plus potential. He rarely needed his changeup in high school, so it is a work in progress. The Blue Jays have considered adding a slider to his repertoire. Wells is loose and athletic with natural feel for throwing strikes, projecting for at least average control. Toronto has altered Wells' delivery since signing, seeking to generate steeper plane. He'll likely open at Rookie-level Bluefield following extended spring training.

Draft Prospects

In a banner year for high school pitching in Virginia, Wells is the headlining lefthander. And while many of the other Virginia prep arms are on the smaller side, Wells has a large frame and lean, projectable build at 6-foot-5, 180 pounds. After showing mid-80s velocity and touching 89 mph last fall, he has been consistently around 87-91 mph this spring, touching 93. From a drop and drive delivery, he has a quick arm and the ball jumps out of his hand. His curveball shows plus potential and he can vary the shape of the offering. He rarely uses his changeup. He's athletic and throws enough strikes to project him to have average control. Wells will likely be in play in the top three to four rounds.

Minor League Top Prospects

The Blue Jays selected the 6-foot-5 Wells in the third round of the 2014 draft, started his development and then traded him to the Mariners in a deal for Mark Lowe in July. He showed an intriguing four-pitch mix at Bluefield prior to the trade, then joined short-season Everett in the Northwest League once he joined Seattle. While Wells reached as high as 93 mph, he mostly pitched at 88-90 and showed cut with his fastball at times. He throws downhill and gets deep plane on his fastball, making it a difficult pitch to square up. Because of this he can pitch to contact. Wells throws two breaking pitches: a low-70s curveball with variable depth and a slurvy, low-80s breaker. The Blue Jays had him focused on developing his changeup, and the pitch earned average grades from multiple evaluators who saw him in the Appy League. Wells could develop into a sound back-of-the-rotation starter given the breadth of his stuff and understanding of how to use it.