ALEXANDER Wells has returned to the pitching mound, and in very familiar surroundings.
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On the comeback trail from an elbow injury and awaiting the birth of his first child, the former Major League Baseball (MLB) player lined up for hometown club Belmont on Sunday in Newcastle's first-grade competition.
It was Wells' first contest with hitters since September and his first outing in the Hunter region for the best part of a decade.
The left-armer, now a free agent after recently finishing seven years with US franchise the Baltimore Orioles, has opted for time off in Australia and hopes to "enjoy the game again".
Belmont, it seems, will benefit from having Wells on the roster during 2023, however, beyond that the 26-year-old remains uncertain about the next step in his career.
"Honestly, I don't know. I just want to enjoy the game again," Wells told the Newcastle Herald.
"If me enjoying the game makes me have that drive again to go back overseas I'll definitely pursue that path, but if not I'm happy playing here locally for Belmont with my mates."
Wells made his debut in 2021 and, according to MLB statistics, started in eight of 13 top-flight appearances for Baltimore over the previous two seasons.
He recorded 32 strike outs, averaged .301 and threw 820 pitches across 46 innings.
But does Wells dream of returning to the internationally-renown sporting stage?
"I'm not writing anything off at the moment. I'm just having fun right now playing at Belmont. If anything pops up I'd definitely have a chat about it, but not locking in anything," he said.
Wells admits "last year took it out of me". Suffering an elbow injury in May, he was eventually taken off the 40-man Orioles squad and demoted to a development list. He officially became a free agent in November.
"I was at Baltimore my whole career [joining in 2015] ... and can't really put a bad word against the organistation. Obviously we were going two separate ways. They had different ideas, but that's life and that's business," Wells said.
He helped Belmont open their campaign with a win on the weekend, accounting for White Sox 12-5 at Plattsburg Park after a first-round bye and Easter break.
Belmont host Phoenix Charlestown at Miller Field this Sunday.
Off the field, partner Chelsea is 28-weeks pregnant and Wells says "I wanted to be home for the birth of my first child".
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Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
