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Although Lachlan Wells may not be a name that is familiar to most MLB fans, the 26-year old Australian hurler may soon be making his big-league debut. Despite growing up down under, the Australian has his sights set on the show.
A native of New South Wales in Australia, Wells has been on the radar of MLB teams for about a decade. Making his debut for the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League in 2013, Wells featured a screaming fastball and impressive arsenal of breaking pitches at a young age.
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His strong showing in his first couple of seasons in the ABL led to the Minnesota Twins inking him to a minor league deal as a 17-year-old. However, Wells chose to stay in Australia, where he honed his skills and rose to become one of the most feared arms in the country.
In 2016, Wells made the move to North America, joining the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Twins' Single-A affiliate. Through 12 starts that year, the six-foot-one left-hander went 6-4, pitching to a 1.77 ERA and striking out 63 batters over the course of 71 innings.
In 2020, Lachlan Wells returned to Australia, first back to Syndey before joining the Adelaide Giants for the 2023-2024 season. Last year, Wells went 6-0, registering a 0.94 ERA to win the 2024 Australian Baseball League MVP Award.
On Jan. 7 this year, Wells inked a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The dominance demonstrated by Wells this past season in Australia led him to receive an invitation to the Phillies' spring training in Clearwater, Florida, which is set to begin in February.
If all goes well, Wells hopes to follow in the footsteps of his twin brother, Alex, who made 13 pitching appearances for the Baltimore Orioles between 2021 and 2022.
Lachlan Wells is the latest example of the quality of Australia's baseball program
Apart from showing success at both the MiLB and ABL levels, Wells also appeared in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Australia.
Over the years, several Australians have made it to MLB, including star A's closer Grant Balfour. However, if Lachlan Wells continues to toss the way he has been doing, he could soon become the face of baseball in his home country.
