Greg Wells (baseball) facts for kids

Gregory De Wayne "Boomer" Wells (born April 25, 1954) is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He was known by his nickname "Boomer." Wells played in two major baseball leagues: Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan.

He played for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1981 and the Minnesota Twins in 1982. After that, he moved to Japan. In Japan, he played for teams like the Hankyu Braves, Orix Braves, Orix BlueWave, and Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. His career in Japan lasted from 1983 to 1992.

Playing in Major League Baseball

Boomer Wells played 47 games in Major League Baseball. This was across two seasons. He had a batting average of .228. This means he got a hit about 22.8% of the times he tried to hit the ball. He made 28 hits in 127 chances to bat. He did not hit any home runs during his time in MLB.

Success in Japanese Baseball

Boomer Wells had a very successful career in Japan. He played for more than ten seasons in the NPB. His batting average was much higher there, at .317. He also hit 277 home runs. A home run is when a player hits the ball out of the park. He also had 901 runs batted in (RBI). An RBI means he helped a teammate score a run.

Winning the Triple Crown

In 1984, Boomer Wells played for the Hankyu Braves. That year was amazing for him. He won the NPB Triple Crown. This is a very special award in baseball. To win it, a player must lead their league in three important stats. These are batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.

Wells achieved this by having a .355 batting average. He also hit 37 home runs. And he had 130 runs batted in. On top of winning the Triple Crown, he also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. This award goes to the best player in the league. He was the first player who was not Japanese to win the Triple Crown.

A Change of Teams

In 1992, Wells asked to be traded to another team. He wanted to join the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. This was because his team, Orix, changed its name to the BlueWave. They also got new team colors and a new stadium. Wells really disliked these changes.

When he moved to the Hawks, he spoke to the media. He told fans in Kansai that he still cared about the Braves fans. He explained that his trade request was due to issues with the team's management. He felt that he was not treated as a star player.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)