I Don't Care Much For Vernon Wells

Recently Derek Jeter was ranked as the most over rated player in a poll amongst MLB players.

Sounds about right. When you play a lot of your games in front of a national audience and are remembered for cutting off a throw to home and for diving into the stands and breaking your face, aren't you bound to be immortalized by the New York Media Hype Machine?

But in The Big Smoke of Toronto, we have our own overhyped superstar: Vernon Wells, who recently went on the DL for the second time this season. Coincidentally, when Wells was on the DL for the first time in May, the Jays had one of their hottest months in recent memory.

Wells' career numbers as a 162 game average tells the story of how overhyped he is: .282 average, 26 HR, 98 RBIs. Another high paid MLB outfielder, Houston Astros' Carlos Lee, makes on average $3 million a season less than Wells, but averages out to a .289 average, 30 HR and 108 RBIs. Moreover, since he signed his contract extension, Lee's output has actually improved, posting .303/33/119 #s last year, and is on pace for .300/35/130 this year.

True, Wells is a Gold Glover, but who pays for defense these days? I'm sure we could find an adequate defensive center fielder for much cheaper who could hit .275/20/80. Maybe then we could finally field a lineup who could hit more than 125HR in a season.

Also ... have you ever gone to a Jays game and heard that elderly gentleman scream out: ICE! COOOOLLLLD ... BEER.

Yeah... he was fired. But JP manages to retain his job season after season.