Lachlan Robert Wells (born 27 February 1997) is an Australian

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

organization.

Career

Minnesota Twins

Wells pitched for the

Sydney Blue Sox The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of eight foundation teams in the re-formed Australian Baseball League (ABL). The team plays their home games at Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP), one of the two venues use ...

in the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it sh ...

from 2013 to 2015. The

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

signed Wells to a minor league contract in 2014. Wells made his professional debut in 2015 with the

GCL Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, the ...

and spent the whole season there, going 5–2 with a 2.09 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in ten games (nine starts). In 2016, Wells pitched for the

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Kernels are owned ...

, compiling a 6–4 record and 1.77 ERA in 12 starts, and in 2017, he played for the

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex a ...

where he pitched to a 4–10 record and 3.98 ERA in 16 games (14 starts). Wells missed the entire 2018 season after undergoing

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

. In 2019, Wells appeared in only 10 games split between the GCL Twins and Fort Myers, accumulating a 2-6 record and 4.22 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 49.0 innings pitched. Wells did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Wells made 3 appearances with the Blue Sox between December 18, 2020 and February 4, 2021 with a 1.08 ERA. Wells also did not appear in a game for the organization in 2021 and was released by the Twins on February 22, 2022. He took the 2022-23 season off, before signing with the ABL's

Adelaide Giants The Adelaide Giants are a professional baseball team that plays in the Australian Baseball League. They are one of the six foundation franchises of the league, in its first incarnation from 1989 to 1999. The team adopted the name Bite or Adelaid ...

in November. In 9 starts, he went 6-0 with a 0.94 ERA, leading the Giants to the ABL finals against the

Perth Heat The Perth Heat is a baseball team in the current Australian Baseball League and a foundation member of the Australian Baseball League. It is now the most successful team in ABL, winning 15 Claxton Shields. Australian Baseball League (1989–19 ...

. For his efforts, Wells won the Helms Award as the league's MVP.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 7, 2024, Wells signed a minor league contract with the

. Wells will join the Phillies and 11 of his Adelaide teammates for Spring Training in late February. Wells would begin the 2024 season with the Double-A

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

Personal

Wells pitched for the

Australian national baseball team The Australian national baseball team represents Australia in international baseball tournaments and competitions. It is ranked as the top team in Oceania, and is the Oceanian Champion, having been awarded the title in 2007 when New Zealand wi ...

in the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...

. His twin brother, Alexander Wells, pitched for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

References

External links

1997 births Living people Australian expatriate baseball players in the United States Baseball pitchers Cedar Rapids Kernels players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales Sydney Blue Sox players Australian twins 2017 World Baseball Classic players Sportsmen from New South Wales Adelaide Giants players {{Australia-baseball-bio-stub