Highest Paid Players in Major League Baseball: An overview – Part 2
Alex Rodriguez has been a true gentleman throughout his entire career and his success can be gauged from his popularity among the fans, his statistics and his collection of silverware. He enjoys a celebrity status but has not allowed that to affect his game.
A-Rod has been awarded the Most Valuable Player three times in his career, in 2003, 2005 and then 2007.
His slugging has been honoured at ten occasions. He won the Silver Slugger award for the first time in 1996 and then from 1998 – 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. His glove work at third base has also been exceptional, evident from the two consecutive Gold Glove
awards that he received in 2002 and 2003.
Vernon Wells, with a salary of a little over $26-million is ranked the second highest paid player in Major League Baseball. He is the only non-Yankees player among the top four highest salaried players in MLB and is thus virtually the highest paid player
if the Yankees are not taken into consideration.
Playing at centre-field, Wells is in his 13th season at MLB and his performance has matured over the years. This is his first season when he is not sporting a Toronto Blue Jays’ jersey after debuting in 1999 with the Jays.
After three pretty ordinary seasons to start with, Wells finally picked pace in 2002 before reaching his peak in 2003. Wells played a total of 57 games from 1999 to 2001. Of these 57, 54 were played in 1999 and 2001 combined with only three being played
in 2000.
Vernon got his first complete burst in 2002 and was quick to make it count. He ended up scoring 87 runs and 100 RBIs at an average of .275. Wells registered 167 hits in the season and added 23 home-runs to add to his two in the previous three seasons.
Wells replicated his confidence from the 2002 season into his performance in the 2003 season where he officially stamped his authority at the plate. For the first and the only time in his career, Wells recorded more than 200 (215) hits and scored more than
100 (118) runs. He improved on his 100 RBIs in the previous season and ended with 117 RBIs in addition to the 33 home-runs he blasted.
Wells ended the 2003 season with a career-best batting average of .317 and a career-best slugging percentage of .550. This year was duly acknowledged by everyone in MLB including the fans and Wells was honoured with the Silver Slugger award.
After 12 illustrious years with the Toronto Blue Jays, Wells moved to the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. Although his statistics for the Angels are not heartening, they are decent given this is his first season with a new outfit. In 74 games thus far, Wells
has scored 41 runs and 41 RBIs. He has registered 64 hits thus far and is well on his way to 100 hits this season if injury does not plague his form.
Wells has struck 15 home-runs thus far in the season but more importantly, 11 of his 15 homers have come in the last 37 games. Wells is picking up pace and that too at a time when the competition gets intense. His best performance came against the Baltimore
Orioles on Friday, July 22 when he blasted a grand slam in the last inning.
Vernon Wells proved his mettle with the Jays and will be looking to replicate his showing for the Angels consistently to justify his lucrative salary.
Continued in Part 3
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