Kip Wells

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1999-2012)

Kip Wells was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2012 for 9 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 14 seasons. Across 296 career appearances, he went 69-103 with a 4.71 ERA and 963 strikeouts. He also batted .190 with 4 home runs.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 69–103
ERA 4.71
WHIP 1.51
SO 963
Pitcher PIV -9294.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 205 lb
Born
4/21/1977 in Houston, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1999-08-02
Last Game
2012-08-01

Full name: Robert Kip Wells

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Career Pitching Statistics

Kip Wells — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
69 103 296 219 3 2 2 1338.1 1,390 700 151 635 963 4.71 -9294.7

Career ERA 4.71 vs. league average 4.42 across their career seasons — 6.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Kip Wells Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1999 CHA AL 4 1 7 7 0 0 0 35.2 33 16 15 29 4.04 4.71 (+14%) 860.2
2000 CHA AL 6 9 20 20 0 0 0 98.2 126 66 58 71 6.02 4.77 (-26%) -1791.1
2001 CHA AL 10 11 40 20 0 0 0 133.1 145 71 61 99 4.79 4.42 (-8%) -513.7
2002 PIT NL 12 14 33 33 1 1 0 198.1 197 79 71 134 3.58 4.28 (+16%) 572.6
2003 PIT NL 10 9 31 31 1 0 0 197.1 171 72 76 147 3.28 4.40 (+25%) 77.8
2004 PIT NL 5 7 24 24 0 0 0 138.1 145 70 66 116 4.55 4.46 (-2%) 766.1
2005 PIT NL 8 18 33 33 1 1 0 182.0 186 103 99 132 5.09 4.29 (-19%) -3417.3
2006 PIT NL 1 5 7 7 0 0 0 36.1 46 27 18 16 6.69 4.53 (-48%) -571.4
2006 TEX AL 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 8.0 15 5 3 4 5.62 — 0.0
2007 SLN NL 7 17 34 26 0 0 0 162.2 186 103 78 122 5.70 4.47 (-27%) -1583.8
2008 COL NL 1 2 15 2 0 0 0 27.1 29 16 19 22 5.27 4.32 (-22%) -560.6
2008 KCA AL 0 1 10 0 0 0 0 10.1 10 10 11 9 8.71 4.32 (-101%) -467.1
2009 WAS NL 0 2 23 0 0 0 2 26.1 23 19 18 18 6.49 4.32 (-50%) 31.4
2009 CIN NL 2 3 10 7 0 0 0 46.1 37 24 22 25 4.66 4.32 (-8%) -981.4
2012 SDN NL 2 4 7 7 0 0 0 37.1 41 19 20 19 4.58 4.01 (-14%) -1716.4
Career · 15 seasons 69 103 296 219 3 2 2 1,338.1 1,390 700 635 963 4.71 — -9,295

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Kip Wells — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
304 331 30 63 10 1 4 17 1 4 143 .190 .205 .263 .468 -1,306

Career AVG .190 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 28.2% below league average.

Career OBP .205 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 38.7% below league average.

Career SLG .263 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — 37.9% below league average.

Career OPS .468 vs. league average .757 across their career seasons — 38.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Kip Wells Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1999 CHA AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2000 CHA AL 20 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
2001 CHA AL 40 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 .167 — — — — 0.0
2002 PIT NL 34 63 4 12 2 0 1 5 0 0 28 .190 .261 (-27%) .331 (-42%) .416 (-35%) .747 (-38%) -404.2
2003 PIT NL 34 68 8 13 3 0 1 5 0 1 23 .191 .264 (-28%) .332 (-39%) .422 (-34%) .754 (-36%) -414.4
2004 PIT NL 25 43 4 8 3 1 0 0 0 3 20 .186 — — — — 0.0
2005 PIT NL 34 57 4 9 1 0 1 2 0 0 26 .158 .264 (-40%) .330 (-48%) .418 (-46%) .749 (-47%) -437.2
2006 PIT NL 7 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 .091 — — — — 0.0
2006 TEX AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 SLN NL 35 53 7 17 1 0 1 5 0 0 19 .321 .268 (+20%) .335 (-4%) .422 (-6%) .758 (-5%) -50.0
2008 COL NL 15 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 KCA AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 WAS NL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 CIN NL 10 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .091 — — — — 0.0
2012 SDN NL 8 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .083 — — — — 0.0
Career · 15 seasons 304 331 30 63 10 1 4 17 1 4 143 .190 — — — — -1,306

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (600 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Kip Wells — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home142144162713.188
Away1621871436314.193

Pitching — Home / Away

Kip Wells — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home137643.06723162874694.42
Away159695.17183843484944.97

Last 10 Games — Batting

Kip Wells — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2012-08-01 SDPCINL 111000000
2012-07-27 SDPMIAW 300000001
2012-07-21 SDPCOLL 100000001
2012-07-16 SDPHOUL 100000001
2012-07-07 SDPCINL 000000000
2012-07-06 SDPCINL 200000001
2012-07-01 SDPCOLW 200000000
2012-06-26 SDPHOUL 200000001
2009-10-01 CINSTLL 000000000
2009-09-20 CINMIAW 200000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Kip Wells — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
2012-08-01 SDPCIN L 4.1555422
2012-07-27 SDPMIA W 6.0522240
2012-07-21 SDPCOL — 4.2865140
2012-07-16 SDPHOU L 4.1322520
2012-07-06 SDPCIN L 6.0733332
2012-07-01 SDPCOL W 7.0600220
2012-06-26 SDPHOU L 5.0752322
2009-10-01 CINSTL L 2.0555111
2009-09-20 CINMIA W 7.0511020
2009-09-15 CINHOU — 6.2544211

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Kip Wells — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 296 219 67 180 29 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Kip Wells — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1999 CHA P 7 7 4 3 2 0
2000 CHA P 20 20 6 5 5 0
2001 CHA P 40 20 9 19 3 1
2002 PIT P 33 33 12 30 3 1
2003 PIT P 31 31 7 31 5 0
2004 PIT P 24 24 7 18 3 1
2005 PIT P 33 33 6 33 2 4
2006 PIT P 7 7 0 3 0 0
2006 TEX P 2 2 1 0 0 0
2007 SLN P 34 26 10 21 4 0
2008 COL P 15 2 1 6 1 0
2008 KCA P 10 0 0 1 0 0
2009 WAS P 23 0 1 4 0 0
2009 CIN P 10 7 1 4 0 0
2012 SDN P 7 7 2 2 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Kip Wells Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 296

Salary History

Kip Wells's recorded salaries total $17,642,500 over 7 seasons, 2002 to 2008. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Wells's career ran from 1999 to 2012. No salary is recorded for 5 of his seasons between 1985 and 2016.

Kip Wells — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2008 COL NL $3,100,000
2007 SLN NL $4,000,000
2006 PIT NL $4,150,000
2005 PIT NL $3,175,000
2004 PIT NL $2,575,000
2003 PIT NL $370,000
2002 PIT NL $272,500
Total recorded salary (partial) $17,642,500

College History

Kip Wells — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Baylor University Waco TX 1996, 1997, 1998

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Kip Wells (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Pat Rapp
    70-91, 4.68 ERA
  2. 87
    Doug Davis
    92-108, 4.44 ERA
  3. 86
    Jason Jennings
    62-74, 4.95 ERA
  4. 85
    Shawn Estes
    101-93, 4.71 ERA
  5. 84
    Omar Olivares
    77-86, 4.67 ERA
  6. 80
    Dave Mlicki
    66-80, 4.72 ERA

Kip Wells: the record in brief

Between the debut on August 2, 1999 and the final game on August 1, 2012, Kip Wells built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago White Sox (1999 to 2001), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2002 through 2006), the Texas Rangers (2006), the St. Louis Cardinals (2007), the Colorado Rockies (2008), the Kansas City Royals (2008), the Washington Nationals (2009), and the Cincinnati Reds (2009), with further stops in the season rows. The bio lists Wells as a pitcher who threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. Wells was born on April 21, 1977, in Houston, TX, USA. The bio lists the given name Robert Kip.

The pitching table credits Wells with a 69-103 record and a 4.71 ERA in 296 games. Also on Wells's record: 963 strikeouts. The league ERA over Wells's seasons was 4.42, so the 4.71 figure ran 6.6% worse than average. 2002 brought Wells a season-high 12 wins.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kip Wells

What years did Kip Wells play?
Kip Wells played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2012.
Was Kip Wells a pitcher?
Yes. Kip Wells pitched in the major leagues, recording 69 wins and 963 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Kip Wells hit?
Kip Wells hit 4 career home runs with 63 hits.
What teams did Kip Wells play for?
Kip Wells played for 9 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1999–2001), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2002–2006), the Texas Rangers (2006), the St. Louis Cardinals (2007), the Colorado Rockies (2008), the Kansas City Royals (2008), the Washington Nationals (2009), the Cincinnati Reds (2009), and the San Diego Padres (2012).
What were Kip Wells's career stats?
In 296 games, Kip Wells went 69-103 with a 4.71 ERA, 963 strikeouts, 1,338.1 innings pitched, and 2 saves. At the plate he had 63 hits and 4 home runs.
How much did Kip Wells earn in his career?
Kip Wells's recorded salaries total $17,642,500 over 7 seasons, 2002 to 2008. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Wells's career ran from 1999 to 2012. No salary is recorded for 5 of his seasons between 1985 and 2016.
What was Kip Wells's salary?
Kip Wells's last recorded salary was $3,100,000, in 2008. His highest recorded salary was $4,150,000, in 2006, and his lowest was $272,500, in 2002. The Salary History table lists each season from 2002 to 2008.
What position did Kip Wells play?
Kip Wells played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Kip Wells and how much did he weigh?
Kip Wells was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 205 pounds.
What was Kip Wells's career ERA?
Kip Wells finished with a 4.71 career ERA, going 69-103 with 963 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Kip Wells have?
Kip Wells recorded 963 career strikeouts.
Is Kip Wells in the Hall of Fame?
No. Kip Wells has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.