1978
Born December 8, 1978
Shreveport, LA, USA
Vernon Wells Marquee
b. December 8, 1978 · Toronto Blue Jays 1999–2010, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2011–2012, New York Yankees 2013
In 2003 he had 215 hits to lead the American League, with 49 doubles, 33 home runs and 117 runs batted in, and won a Silver Slugger at twenty-four. He won three Gold Gloves in center field after that and was chosen for three All-Star teams.
Toronto gave him a seven-year, $126 million extension in December 2006, and the years that followed did not resemble the ones before. He was traded to the Angels in 2011 in a deal that was reported as a salvage operation for the club paying him, and then to the Yankees.
Fifteen seasons gave him 1,794 hits, 270 home runs, 958 runs batted in and a .270 average, which is a good career that the contract has largely erased. He won the Branch Rickey Award in 2010 for community work. The 2019 ballot gave him no votes.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 3 | 2003, 2006, 2010 |
| Gold Glove | 3 | 2004, 2005, 2006 |
| Player of the Week | 2 | 2003, 2006 |
| The Sporting News All-Star | 2 | 2003, 2006 |
| Branch Rickey Award | 1 | 2010 |
| Silver Slugger | 1 | 2003 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | TOR | 24 | 88 | 8 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 1 | .261 |
| 2000 | TOR | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2001 | TOR | 30 | 96 | 14 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 5 | .313 |
| 2002 | TOR | 159 | 608 | 87 | 167 | 34 | 4 | 23 | 100 | 27 | 85 | 9 | .275 |
| 2003 | TOR | 161 | 678 | 118 | 215 | 49 | 5 | 33 | 117 | 42 | 80 | 4 | .317 |
| 2004 | TOR | 134 | 536 | 82 | 146 | 34 | 2 | 23 | 67 | 51 | 83 | 9 | .272 |
| 2005 | TOR | 156 | 620 | 78 | 167 | 30 | 3 | 28 | 97 | 47 | 86 | 8 | .269 |
| 2006 | TOR | 154 | 611 | 91 | 185 | 40 | 5 | 32 | 106 | 54 | 90 | 17 | .303 |
| 2007 | TOR | 149 | 584 | 85 | 143 | 36 | 4 | 16 | 80 | 49 | 89 | 10 | .245 |
| 2008 | TOR | 108 | 427 | 63 | 128 | 22 | 1 | 20 | 78 | 29 | 46 | 4 | .300 |
| 2009 | TOR | 158 | 630 | 84 | 164 | 37 | 3 | 15 | 66 | 48 | 86 | 17 | .260 |
| 2010 | TOR | 157 | 590 | 79 | 161 | 44 | 3 | 31 | 88 | 50 | 84 | 6 | .273 |
| 2011 | LAA | 131 | 505 | 60 | 110 | 15 | 4 | 25 | 66 | 20 | 86 | 9 | .218 |
| 2012 | LAA | 77 | 243 | 36 | 56 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 29 | 16 | 35 | 3 | .230 |
| 2013 | NYY | 130 | 424 | 45 | 99 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 50 | 30 | 73 | 7 | .233 |
| Career | — | 1731 | 6642 | 930 | 1794 | 379 | 34 | 270 | 958 | 472 | 956 | 109 | .270 |
On this day & linked events
1999
Major-league debut: Vernon Wells
Vernon Wells made a major-league debut on August 30, 1999.
2006
Vernon Wells's Three-Home-Run Game, 2006
Vernon Wells hit three home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox on May 30, 2006.
2013
Final major-league game: Vernon Wells
Vernon Wells played a final major-league game on September 29, 2013.