'Almost like another lifetime ago': Vernon Wells reflects on Blue Jays career

TORONTO — Davis Schneider was too young to appreciate the playing career of Vernon Wells in real time, but after taking batting practice with the former Toronto Blue Jays icon, he sought a reminder. 

"You're looking up his stats and you're like holy s---," Schneider said on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre. "He was the real deal for a long time."

Wells, a star centre-fielder who played for the Blue Jays from 1999 to 2010, is in town for the club's Y2K Weekend along with fellow alumni Jose Cruz Jr., Shannon Stewart and Alex Rios. 

On Friday, Wells and Cruz Jr. tossed out ceremonial first pitches together, while the next morning, Wells accepted an invitation from Schneider to pick up a bat and step into the familiar batter's box. 

With the Blue Jays celebrating their 50th season this year, fans will have plenty of opportunities to fete standout players from the franchise's history. At the same time, there will also be an opportunity for those players to reflect on their time in Toronto. 

The 47-year-old Wells spent some time doing just that on Saturday. 

Drafted fifth overall by the Blue Jays in 1997, the Arlington, Texas, native blossomed into an impactful player for the Blue Jays. He was a three-time all-star during his time in Toronto and captured three Gold Gloves while etching himself in the franchise's record books. 

Wells sits second in Blue Jays’ history in hits (1,529), doubles (339) and RBIs (813) and third in games (1,393) and runs (789). 

"People remind me and say, 'Oh, you're in the top five in all these categories.' And I'm like, 'That happened?'" Wells said with a smile. "It's almost like another lifetime ago."

Despite his statistical placement among the organization's greats, there's still a tendency for some to overlook Wells. While he was a complete player who could contribute on both sides of the ball, as well as on the base paths, he didn't wield the dynamic power of a Carlos Delgado or author the heroic playoff moments of a Jose Bautista. 

Nonetheless, Wells was a connective tissue of sorts between eras. He arrived after the competitive teams of the late 1990s, yet ahead of the exciting clubs that reinvigorated the fanbase in the mid-2010s. As a result, Wells was often one of the main reasons to watch what were largely mediocre Blue Jays teams during his tenure. 

Wells played on some decent Blue Jays clubs, like the 2006 iteration that won 87 games and finished second in the AL East, however, his stint in Toronto coincided with a time period where the Yankees and Red Sox were financial behemoths in the division, pushing the Blue Jays to seven third-place finishes, three fourth-place endings and one in last place. 

"I think if the playoff system was what it is today, those teams would have been looked at differently," said Wells. "We would have done things differently. I think we certainly would have been in the playoffs."

When it comes to his own legacy as a Blue Jay, though, Wells is even more introspective. 

"My time here was good and bad," said Wells. "There were certainly some really, really fun times. There were some times where I had a chance to grow up in front of thousands of people. You learned tough lessons in an atmosphere of thousands of passionate fans. It's a different way of growing up."

Following a 2006 season that saw Wells hit 32 homers and post an .899 OPS and 6.2 wins above replacement, the Blue Jays inked him to a seven-year, $126-million extension, which at the time was the largest contract in team history. 

Wells battled through inconsistency and injury over the next three years, though, and by the end of the 2009 campaign, was the target of constant boos from an angry fan base. 

He voiced his frustration publicly at the time and admitted on Saturday that it took some time to come to terms with how his tenure in Toronto ended. After a rebound campaign in 2010, Wells was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera in what was viewed as a successful salary dump. 

"I think you have to be able to understand what a boo means and you have to understand that fans' expectations, especially when you sign a contract, change. But you're hitting in the middle of a lineup and you're expected to produce. But you learn from those things." 

Wells played through various injuries during his later years with the Blue Jays and says, with the gift of hindsight, he probably would have done things differently. 

"I felt that my job and my role was to be available and to be counted on to be playing centre field and to be in that lineup," said Wells. "And I felt if I could will myself to be in a lineup, it's better to be there than not to be there."

The flipside to playing while hurt is that it allowed Wells an opportunity to amass numbers and climb the franchise ranks. It's a trait that George Springer, who grew up admiring Wells, respected. 

"I mean, the best ability is availability," Springer said. "And he was available a lot. But I think what he was able to do when he was available is huge. Being able to count on his glove obviously was big. But his at-bats were always good. If you go back and you watch the at-bats, they're really, really good at-bats all the time."

Springer, 36, spent some time chatting with Wells in front of the Blue Jays' dugout on Saturday. He’s always loved the way that Wells went about his business on the field, but didn't divulge that to the OG during their conversation. 

However, he was more than happy to share his feelings later. 

"When I was a kid, I liked the way he played," said Springer. "I liked how hard he played. I like that he swung hard. 

"That's the style of game I liked. I gravitated toward guys like him."

Bonus Doc story

Wells was a longtime teammate of Blue Jays’ legend Roy Halladay, with the two spending parts of 11 big-league seasons together. Wells shared a fun story about the notoriously serious Halladay:

"I think I got a smile out of him once. I got a hat tip once and it took me robbing a home run in old Yankee Stadium. And that was it. 

"There was one day I was sitting next to him on the bench and he wasn't pitching, yet he was just locked in. I kind of look at him. I look at him again. I was like, 'Doc, you don't like people, do you?' And he looks at me and says, 'No.' 

"That was it. Crickets after that. That was him."