Vernon Wells (baseball)

Did You Know?

• Wells co-founded JACK Winery in Napa Valley, California in 2012.
• During the 2006 post-season, he was an analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight.
• He served as a coach for the National League team in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game.

Early years

Vernon Wells Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and his family relocated to Arlington, Texas, in 1988. His father, a former Canadian Football League player, is also a skilled painter. At Bowie High School in Arlington, Wells played quarterback for the football team and outfield for the baseball squad. During his senior season, he posted a .565 batting average, seven home runs, and 20 RBIs. He later signed a letter of intent to play both baseball and football at the University of Texas at Austin.

Early career

The Blue Jays picked Vernon Wells fifth overall in the 1997 draft straight out of Bowie High School. His pro career kicked off with Toronto’s short-season Class-A affiliate, the St. Catharines Stompers. The next year he suited up for the Hagerstown Suns and earned a spot on the South Atlantic League’s End of Season All-Star Team as a utility outfielder. In 1999, Wells played for the Sydney Storm in the Australian Baseball League. Between 1999 and 2001, he got called up each September, totaling 57 major league games.

Major League career

Wells became an everyday player in 2002, batting .275 with 23 home runs, 100 RBI and 87 runs while establishing himself as a top defensive center fielder. In 2003, he hit .317 with 33 home runs, 117 RBI and 118 runs, leading the league in hits (215), doubles (49) and total bases (373), and finished eighth in American League MVP voting. He made his first All-Star appearance that year. Wells won his first Gold Glove Award in 2004 and a second in 2005.

In 2006, he batted .303 with 32 home runs and 106 RBI, hitting three home runs in a game against the Boston Red Sox on May 30, two off Josh Beckett. He was selected as a reserve outfielder for the American League All-Star Team and later promoted to the starting lineup after an injury to Manny Ramírez. He recorded his 500th RBI on September 24 against the Red Sox and earned his third consecutive Gold Glove Award at season's end. On December 15, 2006, Wells signed a seven-year, $126 million contract extension with the Blue Jays.

In 2007, he suffered a shoulder injury early in the season and underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in September, finishing with a .245 average, 16 home runs and 80 RBI in 149 games.