Hello great fans of baseball! My name is Casper Wells, outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. I was asked to write a little something something on my experiences here in this HOT state of Arizona. Let me first start by saying that the “hotness” you are forced to deal with here is unlike the kind I have to deal with back in New York. I believe that I received an extra perspiration gene in my DNA sequence at birth which can be the only explanation for why I sweat so much.

About Me:

       I was born in Grand Rapids, MI where I stayed for about a year. Then my father’s work had my mother, father and I bouncing a bit until I found a more permanent stay in Schenectady, NY. It makes up one of the three cities of the Tri-City area of upstate New York. With about a 10 minute drive to Albany there’s always something fun to do. I grew up with both of my parents, Casper and Daiva, and three younger sisters, Paige, Lauren, and Livija. I attended Schenectady High School home of the Patriots. Some of our alumni include Pat Riley, head coach of the Miami Heat and Billy Connors, pitching coach for several major league teams. After high school, I became a member of the Towson University Tigers located in Towson, Maryland, about 10 minutes north of Baltimore. College was an incredible experience for me in the classroom, being a Television/Film Major, and on the baseball field. I keep in contact with all of my coaches as well as friends who are supporting me in my journey throughout my professional baseball career. 

      In 2005 all of my dreams came true when I became a member of the Detroit Tigers by being selected in the 14th round of the draft. Heading down to Lakeland, FL for a post-draft camp I didn’t know what to expect. Well, much like what i was expecting upon arrival in Arizona, I knew I was going to go 12 rounds in the ring with the sun and get knocked out pretty quickly, so, I prepared by drinking plenty of H2O and staying hydrated. My first year put me in the Gulf Coast League. Followed up by back to back years in the New York-Penn League playing for the Oneonta Tigers, which was only about an hour from my house, so I had lots of support from my family and friends. This year I broke spring training camp and was placed in the Midwest League on the West Michigan Whitecaps, in Grand Rapids, MI. It’s ironic how I ended up in a place I was born 22 years later to play the sport I love. When fans came to the game they were surprised that they have never heard of me because it says I was born there. Well, most of them didn’t realize I only lived there for a year.  Then About halfway through the year I was lucky enough to land a spot with the Erie Seawolves of the Eastern League. It took a couple stutter steps to get the wheels churning at first but I was able to finish the season strong enough to be asked to come to the Arizona Fall League. 

            

AFL:

          It’s always a bit awkward at first when you would arrive on a team where you only know a handful of guys. You walk into the clubhouse and it’s like that scene in Anchorman where all the news teams assemble in the alley. The only difference is that none of the news teams are enemies in the clubhouse. I mean you have Ron Burgundy and the channel 5 news team and you have spanish language news team, all sitting around eyeing each other up. Then of course the ice is broken, people introduce where they’re from, etc., and day after day of practicing with these guys you feel more comfortable. The “characters” on the team start to show, jokes are cracked, it loosens up and you feel the chemistry of the team start to come together. There are a great group of guys on this Mesa Solar Sox team made up of the Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Detroit Tigers. With manager Rocket Wheeler, hitting coach Ryne Sandberg and pitching coach Ray Burris, this fall is shaping up to be an incredible experience and a very enjoyable one which I am blessed to be a part of. So hold up your glass and let’s make a toast to good things yet to come!