When Vernon Wells was told by Los Angeles Angels general manager Tony Reagins and manager Mike Scioscia that he would be switching positions in Anaheim, Wells barely batted an eye. He was just happy to be playing on a contender again.
The deal that sent Wells to Los Angeles from the Toronto Blue Jays meant that the Angels would have three center fielders patrolling the outfield, two of them with twelve Gold Glove awards between them, Wells (3) and Torii Hunter (9).
Hunter had already moved to right field in August of last season to make room for speedy center field prospect, Peter Bourjos. To make things even more interesting, the Angels also have in their possession the highest rated minor league prospect in all of baseball, Mike Trout, who also happens to play center field.
While Trout may still be a year away, barring unforeseen injuries and a bad start by Bourjos, the Angels will certainly have one of the most talented defensive outfields in all of baseball, even if Wells has never played left field before in his 12-year major league career.
Wells, who will begin his transition today in Tempe, AZ when the Angels hold their first full-squad workout, isn’t overly worried about his new position.
"It's pretty much, 'The ball's hit, go catch it.'" Wells said. "I've been around this game long enough. There's more backing up bases, more angles in different stadiums, paying more attention to how a lot of the cutoffs are, especially down the line."
Wells takes over for Juan Rivera, included in the trade that sent Wells to the Angels, and Bobby Abreu, who will be the full-time designated hitter.
Scioscia is excited about what Wells will be able to do in left field.
"He can absolutely be a great left fielder, but I don't think there's pressure on him to be great," Scioscia said. "You're not going to impact the game as much on the defensive end from left field as you are from center."
"But we're projecting him to do things in left field that we haven't seen in a while as far as range and containing the running game."
Scioscia also said that prospect Mike Trout will get his opportunity to show the Angels what he can do during big-league camp.
"It's going to be nothing but a positive for Mike, even if he struggles with some things," Scioscia said.
"You see what major league arms are like. You see what major league quickness is like. You see some major league command if you get at-bats later in the spring. The lessons he'll learn here are going to be positives."
Having four bona-fide center fielders in camp is never a bad thing, and Scioscia has confidence that Wells can shine in his new position, and in his new lease on baseball life.
For continuing coverage of the Los Angeles Angels, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments