Wells springs forward Sinker has pitcher on the rise

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Sunday, July 10, 2005 8:34 PM PDT ∞

Jared Wells added one pitch to his arsenal and has gone from a so-so prospect to one of the Padres' top guns.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander, was a 31st-round draft pick out of San Jacinto College in Texas in 2002. He was just 8-12 with a 4.18 ERA last season while splitting time between two Single-A clubs, Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore.

This spring, though, he added a two-seam, or sinking, fastball. His improvement has been dramatic.

After a second straight complete game Friday, Wells improved to 11-2 with a 2.91 ERA with Lake Elsinore.

"I always thought I had a decent arm," Wells said " It was just a matter of putting it together, being more consistent. I'm still a four-seam (rising) fastball guy. I use it about 80 percent of the time because I get good life on it. But the threat of another pitch has made a world of difference."

One week ago, Wells shut out High Desert in Adelanto, which is one of the toughest places to pitch in baseball because of a short right-field fence and a howling wind.

It was only the second complete-game shutout in more than 850 California League games this season.

On Friday, Wells had his streak of 28 consecutive scoreless innings snapped when he allowed a run in the second inning.

"Jared's fastball is only 91-92 mph, not overpowering," said Bill Gayton, scouting director for the Padres. "But he has great late life on his fastball. Plus, he can sink it or sail it, and he has decent breaking stuff and an above-average change-up.

"He could start advancing quickly."

So how did he last until the 31st round?

"I went to Tyler JC out of high school (West Columbia in Texas), but it wasn't a good program and they dropped all our scholarships after the season," Wells said. "So I went to San Jacinto, and that was great baseball.

"I have a Texas bias. I think the baseball there is the best in the country. Six guys off the San Jacinto team were drafted because the program was run professionally.

"I thought I'd go much earlier in the draft, and I had never talked to a Padres scout. But it didn't matter where I went, I was going to sign."

At 23 years old, Wells is a prime candidate to move up to Double-A Mobile. But the BayBears are struggling and Lake Elsinore is assured a spot in the California League playoffs.

"If I do my job, I'll move up. It will happen," Wells said. "All I can control is what I do on the mound. Certainly, I'd like to move up, but we have a chance to win a championship here, and I have a chance to be part of something special."

The way he's throwing the ball, he might force the Padres to push him up a class.

Locals watch

> Former Poway High and San Diego State outfielder Anthony Gwynn has been named to play in Wednesday's Southern League All-Star Game. Gwynn is hitting .270 with 30 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 84 games for Huntsville, the Brewers' Double-A affiliate.

> Outfielder Jordan Szabo, who played at Carlsbad High, was part of the longest minor-league game of the season ---- and it isn't over yet. Playing for Batavia, the Phillies' club in the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League, Szabo threw an Auburn runner out at the plate to end the bottom of the ninth to keep the game tied. The teams battled through 20 innings before the contest was suspended because of a curfew. It will resume Aug. 14.

> Left-hander Cole Hamels, the former Rancho Bernardo High star on the rise in the Phillies' chain, worked six innings, allowed two runs and stuck out six while getting a no-decision in his Double-A debut with Reading. His fastball was clocked at 92-93 mph, but he allowed the first home run of his professional career, covering 26 starts. "I haven't had butterflies in my stomach the last couple of years, so it was good to have it," Hamels told the Phillies' Web site. Hamels said he hopes to be in the big leagues in September.

> Trevor Hutchinson, the former Torrey Pines High star, had surgery on his right shoulder and might be lost for the season. A third-round pick of the Marlins in 2002, Hutchinson finished last season at Double-A Carolina, going 10-7 in 24 starts. He was invited to big-league camp this spring, was optioned out at the end of camp, then was injured.

> Catcher Sean Richardson, a 19th-round pick of the Twins who played at Vista High, Palomar College and Kansas, is playing at Elizabethton in the Single-A Appalachian League. The manager of that club in Tennessee is former Vista High and MiraCosta College standout Ray Smith.

Marketing department

> The Kansas City T-Bones and Schaumburg Flyers of the independent Northern League were told to drop the idea of having two fans determine the first two innings of an upcoming game by playing an Xbox video game on the stadium scoreboard.

> Lake Elsinore held "Nothing Night" on Tuesday ---- no public address announcements, no music, no gimmicks, no concessions other than beer, and no restrooms.

Around the bases

> Triple-A Portland OF Jon Knott has 47 extra-base hits ---- third-most in the Pacific Coast League and the 10th-most in minor-league baseball. He's second in the PCL in home runs (19) and sixth in doubles (25). He's hitting .271 with 58 RBIs.

> Portland has used 13 starting pitchers this season. The Beavers used a club-record 18 starters in 2001.

> LHP Mike Ekstrom, a 12th-round pick of the Padres last season out of Point Loma Nazarene, improved to 11-3 at Fort Wayne after going seven innings Friday against South Bend. He has a 3.05 ERA and has walked only 15 batters in 109 1/3 innings.

> 1B Kyle Blanks is hitting .393 with seven homers and 21 RBIs after 14 games with the Padres' Arizona Rookie League club. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound masher, leads the league in home runs, RBIs, doubles (six), total bases (49) and slugging (.875). He is third in runs scored (18) and fourth in batting average.

> Former Padres reliever Craig Lefferts is the pitching coach for the Vancouver Canadians, the Athletics' short-season Single-A club.

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com. The minor-league report runs each Monday through the end of the minor-league season. Staff writer Ed Wehde contributed to this report.