Vernon Wells III (born December 8, 1978) is a Major League Baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays. Wells has appeared on two All-Star teams in his career, been awarded three Gold Glove Awards, and one Silver Slugger Award. He is among the league's highest paid players, having in 2007 signed a $126 million contract extension that ends in 2014.

Vernon Wells was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and grew up in Arlington, Texas, where his family moved in 1988. During a Little League practice he was smacked in the face with a ground ball, a misfortune that led to him becoming a stellar center fielder (he won consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2004, 2005, and 2006). In 1993, Wells entered Arlington's Bowie High School where he played quarterback on the football team and was an outfielder on the baseball team. In his senior year, he batted .565 with 7 home runs and 20 RBI. Before entering the Major League Baseball Draft, Wells considered going to the University of Texas at Austin to play baseball and football (as a wide receiver).

The Toronto Blue Jays made Wells round one's fifth pick in the 1997 amateur draft. He spent several years as a top prospect in the Blue Jays organization, starting with the St. Catharines Blue Jays, Toronto’s Class-A team in the short-season New York – Penn League. In 1999 he played in the Australian Baseball League with the Sydney Storm. From 1999 through 2001, Wells was a regular September call-up and played in 57 games.