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

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Kiwoom Heroes The Kiwoom Heroes () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the sou ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

Career

Minnesota Twins

Wells pitched for the

Sydney Blue Sox The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of six founding 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 used fo ...

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 s ...

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) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

signed Wells to a minor league contract on 21 November 2014. Wells made his professional debut in 2015 with the rookie-level

Gulf Coast League 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 a 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 (Cedar Rapids), Veter ...

, 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 at ...

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, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery 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 body, ...

. 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Wells made 3 appearances with the Blue Sox between 18 December 2020 and 4 February 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 22 February 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 founding member of the Australian Baseball League. It is the most successful team in ABL history, winning 15 Claxton Shields. Australian Baseball League (1989– ...

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

Philadelphia Phillies

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

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

. Wells will join the Phillies and 11 of his Adelaide teammates for Spring Training in late February. Wells split the 2024 season between 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 R ...

and Single-A

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 20 ...

, accumulating a 6-5 record and 3.47 ERA with 79 strikeouts over innings of work. Wells elected free agency following the season on 6 November.

Kiwoom Heroes

On June 11, 2025, Wells signed with the

of the

. He made his debut for the Heroes as a starter on June 25.

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 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

. His twin brother, Alexander Wells, pitched for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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) East Division. As one of the America ...

References

External links

1997 births Living people 2017 World Baseball Classic players Adelaide Giants players Australian expatriate baseball players in the United States Australian twins Baseball pitchers Cedar Rapids Kernels players Clearwater Threshers players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Reading Fightin Phils players Sportsmen from New South Wales Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales Sydney Blue Sox players 21st-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-baseball-bio-stub