MLB Player Profile: Vernon Wells
Vernon M. Wells currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels as outfielder in the left-field in Major League Baseball. Born on December 8, 1978, Wells has extensive experience of 12 years to back his talent on the plate and he continues to be a role model
for the bull-pen with his sparkling performances.
The right-handed batter moved to the Los Angeles Angels for the 2011 season after 12 illustrious years with the Toronto Blue Jays. Wells was drafted as the fifth pick in the 1997 Draft by the Blue Jays and he immediately signed with Toronto where he continued
to impress with the Minor League teams.
From 1999 to 2001, Wells played a total of 57 games for the Blue Jays including just three in the year 2000. He compiled 22 runs in the stretch and impressed in bits-and-pieces. He finally got his chance to play as an everyday player in the year 2002 and
was quick to grab the opportunity to set his feet on the big stage.
Wells did not play his first complete season as a rookie as he had already surpassed the bare minimum of at-bats to be qualified as a rookie. Nonetheless, he went on to amass 167 hits in the season which yielded 87 runs for the gifted batter. 23 of his 87
runs came as home-runs and he impressed with 100 RBIs in his first full season at MLB. All indications of an elegant player were present in Wells.
He improved his performance in 2003 and scored 118 runs in 161 games. He crossed the 200 hits barrier and ended the season with 215 hits. This was the only time that the outfielder completed 200 or more hits. Wells added ten more to his tally of home-runs
in 2002 to finish the season with 33 home-runs and improved on his number of RBIs too, finishing with 117 in his second season. Vernon’s batting average also experienced a spike from .275 in 2002 to .317 in 2003.
Wells became an instant favourite with the fans after two successful seasons with the Blue Jays. He won his first All-Star selection in 2003 followed by two more in 2006 and 2010 respectively. He represented the American League on all three occasions.
Wells has remained consistent throughout his career in the field and on the plate. Since his first complete season in 2002, Wells has never scored less than 78 runs in a season which reiterate how composed a player he is. He completed his 1500 career-hits
with the Blue Jays and this season, with 71 hits thus far, he has completed 1600 career-hits. He has been persistent with his slugging and has amassed 239 career home-runs at a percentage of .470. Wells’ home-run hitting ability earned him a Home Run Derby
selection in 2010.
Wells has been brilliant in the outfield defence and his three consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 2004 to 2006 provide evidence of his brilliancy. His importance to the Blue Jays was highlighted by the team management three times when they declared Wells
as Blue Jays’ Most Valuable Player in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
Wells was acquired by the Los Angeles Angels on January 21, 2011 in trade for outfielder Juan Rivera and catcher Mike Napoli. After an ordinary start in his new jersey, Wells has struck hard and is back to his hitting ways with 11 of his 16 home-runs this
season coming in the months of June and July combined.
Apart from being an excellent baseball player, Wells is an active humanitarian as well. He received the Branch Rickey Award for humanitarian works on November 13, 2010 and was inducted into the Baseball Humanitarians Hall of Fame.
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