Skill Number 1 - Earning his salary.

When Wells was shipped to the Angels, he still had over 87 million left on his obnoxious 7 year, 126 million dollar deal. How much of that remaining huge chunk of money did the Blue Jays eat? 5 million, yes, just 5 million, which could just be the best deal a G.M. has made in the last 10 years ridding the Jays of that horrendous contract. Too bad there is no amnesty clause like in the new NBA collective bargaining agreement.

Quick quiz, how many players in 2011 earned more than Vernon Wells in 2011?

If you guessed double digits you are wrong. The answer is one, Alex Rodriguez. Vernon Wells was only one of 10 players to make more than 20 million last year, and the remaining 3 years he has on his deal will keep him in that.

Who are the other 20 million dollar players from 2011?

Well, there is A-Rod, CC Sabathia, Big Tex, Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Todd Helton, Miggy, Roy Halladay, and Ryan Howard. Add in 2012 contracts from players like Albert Pujols, Price Fielder, and Timmy, and Vernon Wells looks like a tiny mouse among the giants of the game.

Skill Number 2 – Inconsistent Power

The only thing mildly respectable about Vernon Wells is his ability to hit for power. However, even with a decent 25 home run total, there were still 42 other players with at least 25 home runs last year. Most of his power was aided by Toronto’s ballpark, and the Angels do not boast a launching pad, so that is bad news for Mr. Wells.

Three of the past 6 years, there have been at least 91 other players with as many (or more) home runs per season than this tiny Angel in the outfield. Here is a breakdown of the 2006-2010 and how many players have had as many or more home runs than Wells over those seasons.

• 2006 - 32 home runs, 32 other players. 
• 2007 - 16 home runs, 122 other players. 
• 2008 - 20 home runs, 91 other players. 
• 2009 - 15 home runs, 131 other players. 
• 2010 - 31 home runs, 17 other players

While Vernon Wells had two full seasons where he hit over .300, he has only managed to hit above the .280 mark once since 2006. Of course, he then turned in a .218 batting average on his scorecard for the 2011 season. 

Just for fun… How many players hit at, or above, Vernon Well’s measly .218 batting average in 2011? 507!

As if the middling power and inconsistent batting average weren’t enough, Vernon Wells has also been a model of inconsistency in the power department. For example, after three season of hitting 20 or fewer home runs, Vernon Wells exploded with 31 home runs in 2010. Check out these slugging percentage numbers from the past 6 years:

• 2006 - .542
• 2007 - .402
• 2008 - .496
• 2009 - .400
• 2010 - .515
• 2011 - .412

It’s like a yo-yo being used by an amateur trick artist.

In order to hit over 20 home runs, Vernon Wells has to sacrifice his batting average.  Quite simply, he needs to purposely swing for the fences. This approach most likely led to the career high strikeout rate (16.3%) in 2011.

So, be my guest and take a chance at destroying your average, hoping the good Vernon Wells shows up for some reason and attempts to validate that laughable bank heist he calls a salary with some big time power numbers.

Hey, it can’t be much worse than last year. Maybe with Albert Pujols protecting the Angel hitters, Wells will see resurgence in 2012. Yeah, and Adam Dunn will win the MVP. Fausto Carmona will be replaced on the Indian roster with the real Fausto by his Dominican mother who turned in Roberto Hernandez Heredia. Oh, and I will finally get a job in the Indians front office.

Then pigs will fly, the world will actually end in December, just after the Astros win the World Series.

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