Three strikes: Wells production bodes well for Jays
Article By smcneal.tsn on 9th April, 2010
Sporting News' Stan McNeal analyzes several early season trends.
STRIKE 1: It's early but Wells is showing up
Vernon Wells is letting his bat speak for him -- and it's making big noise.
Just ask David Ortiz if the season is too young to make long-range assumptions. He bristled at reporters (to put it nicely) who tried to ask him about his slow start.
Vernon Wells has been around too long to get overly excited about his strong start. But this sure beats last year when he hit .260 with 15 homers. His struggles were compounded because of his massive contract, which has the Blue Jays on the hook for $107 million over the next five years. You can be sure Toronto fans upset about the team's decision to trade Roy Halladay haven't forgotten about Well's deal.
Wells is doing as much as possible to get back in Toronto's good graces. He slammed his fourth home run in three games Thursday -- it was a ninth-inning shot that tied their game against Rangers. Toronto won 3-1, and Wells ended the series with a 6-for-10 showing, seven RBIs and more homers than he hit all of last April.
Don't expect him to regress to his '09 struggles, either. Two reasons: "Vernon is healthy and motivated," Blue Jays TV announcer and former manager Buck Martinez said. "He finally takes on the leadership role with Halladay out of the picture."
Health is the key. Wells, 31, didn't complain last year when he missed only four games even though his left wrist bothered him most of the season (the same wrist he broke in 2008). But offseason surgery to repair cartilage damage has Wells feeling better and producing more than he has since signing his deal in late 2006.
STRIKE 2: San Francisco is off to a Giant start
Early results on Mark DeRosa are good as the Giants crank up on offense.
What was impressive about the Giants' three-game, 18-run, 37-hit sweep of the Astros: They didn't get an RBI from Pablo Sandoval.
What wasn't so impressive...
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