Wellman was a native of Norwood, Ohio. An outfielder and first baseman, he batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . He had two brief trials — four games in and 11 more in — with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League, batting .286 in 25 at bats, with one triple, one home run (hit off Mel Parnell of the Boston Red Sox on April 23, 1950, at Shibe Park)Information at Retrosheet and one run batted in. The rest of Wellman's uniformed career would be spent in the minors, first as a player (he led his league in home runs over four consecutive seasons, 1954–1957, including the Class A Western International League), then as a playing manager and manager.
