Lachlan Wells

Lachlan Robert Wells

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Born February 27, 1997 in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Lachlan Wells pitched in the minors and Australia and for the Australian national team. His twin brother Alex Wells reached the majors in 2021.

Lachlan was 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA for Australia in the 2013 World Junior Championship, taking a tough loss as he allowed only one hit in 5 1/3 IP against South Korea. He made his pro debut in the 2013-2014 Australian Baseball League, allowing four hits and four runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 IP over three games for the Sydney Blue Sox. Minnesota Twins scout Howard Norsetter signed him August 11, 2014. In the 2014-2015 ABL, he was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

He had a fine US debut for the 2015 GCL Twins (5-2, 2.09, 49 K in 47 1/3 IP). The twin on the Twins tied for 4th in the Gulf Coast League in wins and would have been 3rd in ERA had he qualified (just missing the cut-off). He was Australia's top hurler in the 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup at 1-0, 2.00 with 14 K in 9 IP. He was 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA for Sydney in 2015-2016.

In 2016, he was 6-4 with a 1.77 ERA for the Cedar Rapids Kernels and won his only postseason start; he did not qualify for the Midwest League ERA leaders but his mark was better than any of the qualifiers. He and Dushan Ruzic would be the only Australian pitchers to work multiple outings in the 2017 World Baseball Classic even though he was their youngest hurler (Alex was on the designated pitcher pool if Australia had made the next round) and youngest player (5 months younger than Aaron Whitefield). Against Samurai Japan, he relieved Tim Atherton with a 1-0 lead in the 5th, no out and men on the corners. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Nobuhiro Matsuda but escaped further harm by retiring Seiji Kobayashi and Tetsuto Yamada. In the 6th, he fanned Ryosuke Kikuchi, got MLB vet Nori Aoki and K'd Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. Matthew Williams took over in the 7th with the game 1-1 and Japan would rally to win. His other outing in the Classic also came in a key situation, again called to hold a 1-0 lead in the 5th against a more prominent team, in this case Cuba. Replacing Warwick Saupold, he started off strong by fanning Frank Morejón and Yoelkis Céspedes and had retired his first eight batters in the Classic but then ran into trouble as Roel Santos and Alexander Ayala singled and Frederich Cepeda coaxed a walk. Alfredo Despaigne hit a grand slam to send Wells packing, as Ruzic relieved. Wells took the loss in a 4-3 decision.

The Newcastle native battled injuries in 2017 and pitched for the Fort Myers Miracle (4-10, 3.98) and GCL Twins (1 R in 4 IP), his ERA still fair. He led Twins farmhands in losses, though, and tied Jonathon Crawford for 5th in the Florida State League in defeats. He then missed all of 2018 due to injuries, requiring Tommy John surgery. Returning in 2019, he pitched for Fort Myers (2-5, 4.09) and the GCL Twins (0-1, 3 R in 5 IP). He was 1-0 with a save and a 1.08 ERA for Sydney in the 2020-2021 ABL, striking out 15 and walking none in 8 1/3 IP. He then took a couple years off of baseball after being married. He was superb in 2023-2024 at 6-0, 0.94 with 63 K to 7 BB in 47 2/3 IP. He led the league in wins and ERA; he was second in K, 5 behind Ryan Bollinger, to avoid a pitching Triple Crown in a dramatic return to the field. He won the Helms Award. The last pitcher to win was Markus Solbach five years prior.

Further Reading

• Lindsay Berra: "Australian twins bring competitive spirit to pro ball: Lachlan signed with Twins in '14; Alexander inked deal with O's last offseason", mlb.com, March 25, 2016. [1]