Padres prospect Wells on fast-forward

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Jared Wells came late to the craft of pitching, but he's quickly making up for lost time.

The Padres' 2005 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Wells was a quarterback at East Texas Baptist University in 2000 when he severely damaged his right knee, requiring major surgery.

"I was a football player and a baseball player, playing the outfield," the 24-year-old recalled. "After I blew my knee out, I knew I couldn't move well enough to play the outfield anymore. So, after a year of rehab, I took up pitching."

Taken by the Padres in the 31st round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft as a draft-and-follow, Wells signed in 2003 out of San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College and began taking small steps toward his ultimate destination: San Diego.

Struggling with a consistent rhythm and not getting a lot of run support, he went 4-6 at each of his first three stops -- Eugene, Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore -- with ERAs of 2.75, 4.09 and 4.52, respectively.

It all began coming together in 2005 at Lake Elsinore. He was dominant in a hitters' league with an 11-3 record and California League-best 3.44 ERA when he was promoted to Double-A Mobile. He was 2-5 with a 4.40 ERA in the Southern League with quality starts in his first four outings, then became Team USA's top starter at the World Cup last September.

Suddenly, the word was out: Jared Wells had become a Major League prospect.

"He's kind of been the talk of Spring Training so far in the coaches' room," general manager Kevin Towers said. "He's got everything you're looking for in a pitcher: tremendous body, lot of size, strength, long levers, fast arm."

At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds with a fastball that reaches 93 mph and a nice assortment of pitches to complement it, Wells is being groomed as a potential starter.

"He's got a power arm with a good slider and changeup," Towers said. "The changeup is usually the equalizer, the thing that puts guys over the top.

"I think he's going to move quickly the next two years. He and (Cesar) Carrillo are the top pitchers in our system. Both of them have a chance to be top-of-rotation starters. They have the tools and we like their attitudes."

Wells is smart, judging by his approach. He understands his role is to get outs as economically as he can, not gratify his ego with punchouts. He has 265 strikeouts against 123 walks in 395 Minor League innings.

"I'm a power pitcher," Wells said, "but I don't go out there with the intention of striking out everybody. I like to throw as few pitches as possible to keep the defense in the game, so they don't get stagnant out there."

With good arm action, he throws a two-seam fastball with sinking action to go with his hard four-seamer. He has an effective slider in the mid- to high-80s and a changeup in which he feels he needs to show more faith as he moves up the ladder.

"That is a really important pitch," he said. "I can throw it, but when I get in games I don't throw the changeup enough. I need to get that changeup down to get them off the hard stuff."

A fan, like most Texans, of Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens growing up, Wells said he doesn't know where he'll start the 2006 season but plans to make the most of wherever he lands.

"I'm still learning, trying to get better," he said. "I just went out and did my job last year and everything fell into place. Good things happen if you do your job."

Coming late to pitching could be a blessing in disguise. Unlike many youngsters, Wells wasn't so good so fast that he put too much stress on his arm trying to please coaches and managers.

"I feel like I'm just getting started," Wells said. "Maybe that will be an advantage in the long run."