Phillies Claim OF Casper Wells
Wells and his highlight reel defensive plays are coming to Philadelphia.
According to our Pat Gallen, the Phillies have claimed outfielder Casper Wells from the Chicago White Sox. Wells, 28, joins his fifth team in 2013, sporting a .236/.305/.407 career line, hitting .249/.330/.450 against southpaws. According to Gallen, Wells will join the team tomorrow in DC. He figures to take Michael Martinez’s spot on the 25-man roster.
According to FanGraphs, Wells has been a plus-defensive outfielder, posting a career 15.9 UZR/150 in 1547.1 innings in the outfield. Wells has primarily played right field in his career but has seen time in both left and center as well. A 14th-round pick in 2005 out of Towson, Wells broke out in 2008 with 27 homers for the Tigers’ Single A and Double A affiliates.
Analysis: Wells’ power keeps getting him chances in the majors. He’s hit .155/.211/.169 this season and .236/.305/.407 for his career, but had 21 homers in 557 plate appearances in 2011 and 2012. His addition could mean that it is only a matter of time before the Delmon Young experiment is over. Despite his paltry triple-slash, Wells has averaged 1.3 wins a year previous to 2013. Wells is definitely worth a waiver flier for a team like the Phillies who have only three “true” outfielders on their active roster.
