John Wells

John Frederick Wells

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 180 lb.
• Debut September 14, 1944
• Final Game September 28, 1944
• Born November 25, 1922 in Junction City, KS USA
• Died October 23, 1993 in Olean, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Kansas native John Wells spent eight seasons in professional baseball from 1942 to 1949. At the tail-end of the 1944 season the seventh place Brooklyn Dodgers gave the 21-year-old right-hander an opportunity to show his stuff in the Major Leagues. Wells responded much like the Dodger team that was mired in seventh place in the war-ravaged National League. John appeared in four games, pitching 15 innings, allowing 18 hits, along with 11 base-on-balls and gave up nine earned runs and went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. This would be Wells' only appearance in the big leagues.

John retreated back to the minor leagues, where he spent eight seasons. He had one of his best years in his first season, with the 1942 Olean Oilers of the class D PONY League, when he went 11-8 with a 4.10 ERA in 34 games. John would also show some class when he went 15-11 with a 4.38 ERA in 1948 in 32 games with the Lincoln A's of the class A Western League.

Wells appeared in the Southern Association for parts of five different seasons. John built a 28-34 record in the higher class league in 115 games with three different teams. John's eight-year minor league totals showed that he appeared in 230 games, pitching 1,280 innings, with a 71-75 record.

An avid hunter and fisherman, he worked for Stroehmann Brothers Company bakery before his retirement. He died from a heart attack on October 23, 1993 in Olean, NY. John Frederick Wells was 70 years of age.