I think it’s nice that people want to believe in Kip Wells and Kris Benson; it just goes to show the American predilection towards rooting for the underdog, the young phenom who turned into the middle-aged nobody with all that untapped potential. Wells and Benson aren’t Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront, but they’re still a couple pitchers who could have been much more than what they are: serviceable.

Benson is on his way to the Orioles today in a deal that netted the Mets Jorge Julio. Kris was a rising star in the Pirates’ system before hurting his elbow and missing the entire ‘01 season. His 2000 season looked like 3.86 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 217 IP, 206 Hits, 184:86 K:BB. He hasn’t been above 134 Ks since, and his 4.13 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 2005 were both post-surgery highs. Unfortunately he Kd 95 in 174 IP; that’s less than Jamie Moyer and Jeff Suppan, and 2 more than Ryan Franklin.

Benson is done as an effective major league pitcher. If you own Jesse Foppert you should be looking at Kris Benson as a warning sign. This is what happens to some pitchers after TJ surgery. A lot of guys retain their velocity and stuff; others fall right off the table. Benson used to have a very good fastball, and a very good slider. Those pitches are both below average right now.

What about Kip Wells? Except for some lingering numbness in his right middle finger he’s been healthy the past few years. That’s actually pretty tough to believe when you consider how bad his stuff’s become in the past couple seasons. Wells went from a 3.28 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 2003, to a 5.09 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 2005. He was just as bad in ‘04, going 4.55/1.53 with 5 wins in 24 starts.

Don’t chalk those stats up to playing for a bad team. Any NL pitcher with a decent fastball and slider can keep his ERA in the high-3s. Wells used to throw 97 with movement and now he hits 92. His slider used to be great, and now it’s not even worth throwing. Add the fact he walked 99 in 182 innings and you’ve got a pitcher destined for the scrap heap at the ripe age of 28.

Wells might still be able to re-invent himself and find his lost stuff. Assuming he wasn’t a steroid-creation, there’s a chance he can become an effective starter or reliever. Still, we’re looking at a guy with probably the worst command in the majors. Jesse Foppert and Gavin Floyd are still technically not on their teams’ 25-man rosters. If they were you’d be looking at Floyd, Foppert, and Wells as MLB’s 3 worst pitchers in terms of control.

So the final verdict on Benson and Wells: pass. Benson doesn’t have the command, and he doesn’t have the stuff. Same with Wells. Kris might discover a new pitch and become a decent 3rd starter, but right now there’s no difference between what he offers and what you can get from Kyle Lohse. If you want Wells, just draft Josh Towers. At least the wins will be there.

*Note:
A friend of Wells’s dropped us a comment concerned about the line “assuming he wasn’t a steroid-creation.” Just to clarify that, I’m not suggesting that Wells used steroids. I’ve re-read the article and I can’t see where you’d find an accusation. To me, that’s like saying “assuming Griffey’s stays healthy…” I’m not accusing him of being hurt. Now that we’ve learned about the blocked artery in Kip’s pitching arm there might finally be a plausible explanation as to where the mph went on his fastball.