Tyler Austin Wells (born August 26, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.
| Tyler Wells | |
|---|---|
 Wells with the Baltimore Orioles in 2022 | |
| Baltimore Orioles – No. 68 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: August 26, 1994 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 4, 2021, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 16–18 |
| Earned run average | 4.06 |
| Strikeouts | 271 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career
editWells attended University High School in Morgantown, West Virginia as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Yucaipa High School in Yucaipa, California.[1] As a junior in 2012, he went 8–0 with a 0.84 ERA.[2] In 2013, as a senior, he had a 0.28 ERA.[3] Undrafted out of high school in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, Wells enrolled at California State University, San Bernardino where he played college baseball for the Coyotes.
In 2014, as a freshman at CSUSB, Wells appeared in 11 games (eight starts), going 1–5 with a 4.30 ERA, and as a sophomore in 2015, he went 2–4 with a 4.93 ERA in 12 starts. Wells broke out as a junior in 2016, pitching to a 4–7 record with a 2.84 ERA in 15 starts.[4]
Professional career
editMinnesota Twins
edit
After the season, Wells was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[5]
Wells made his professional debut with the Elizabethton Twins, going 5–2 with a 3.23 ERA in ten starts.[6] He spent 2017 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, going 5–3 with a 3.11 ERA in 14 starts, and began 2018 with the Fort Myers Miracle where he was named a Florida State League All-Star before being promoted to the Chattanooga Lookouts in July, where he finished the season.[7][8][9][10] In 22 games (21 starts) between the two clubs, Wells went 10–6 with a 2.49 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP.[11]
Wells began 2019 with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos,[12] but underwent Tommy John surgery in May, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.[13] Wells did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
Baltimore Orioles
editOn December 10, 2020, Wells was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the Rule 5 draft.[15] In 2021, he made the Opening Day roster.[16] On April 4, 2021, Wells made his MLB debut in relief against the Boston Red Sox, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.[17] On June 2, Wells earned his first career major league victory, pitching three scoreless innings giving up only one hit against the Minnesota Twins.[18] On September 5, Wells earned his first career save after pitching a perfect ninth inning in an 8-7 win over the New York Yankees.[19] Wells missed time during the season due to wrist and shoulder injuries, but still pitched 57 innings in relief in which he went 2-3 with a 4.11 ERA and 65 strikeouts.[20]
Wells began the 2022 season in Baltimore's starting rotation,[21] where he made 23 starts and pitched to a 4.25 ERA in 103+2⁄3.
Wells began the season in the Orioles bullpen, where he pitched five shutout innings in a winning effort against the Texas Rangers after an injury to starter Kyle Bradish. He would then be moved to the starting rotation, where he made an immediate impact as the Orioles best starting pitcher in the first half of the season. He pitched to a 3.18 ERA, striking out 103 batters in 104+2⁄3 innings. After surpassing his career-high in innings pitched before the All-Star break, Wells struggled in his three starts in the second half, allowing 11 earned runs in just nine innings. He was sent down to Double-A Bowie Baysox, where he made three starts before being moved to Triple-A Norfolk Tides. There, he appeared in seven games before being recalled to the Orioles. Wells made three scoreless relief appearances, including earning his fifth career save in a 2-0 win over the Red Sox on September 28 that clinched the Orioles' first AL East title since 2014 and secured the franchise's first 100-win season since 1980.
In 2024, Wells made three starts for Baltimore, recording a 5.87 ERA with 13 strikeouts across 15+1⁄3 innings pitched. On May 31, 2024, it was announced that Wells would undergo season–ending surgery to repair damage to his ulnar collateral ligament.[22]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Wells Turns Struggles Into Success On And Off The Field". MiLB.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Yucaipa High baseball team welcomes new kid on the block". News Mirror. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "YHS Baseball team to play Cajon April 23 and 27". News Mirror. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "AREA COLLEGES: Men's Honor Roll". The Press-Enterprise. June 17, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Twins 2016 MLB Draft capsules". Fox Sports. June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Tyler Wells Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Fire Frogs' Cumberland, Pache experience another All-Star Game". Osceola News Gazette. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Meet The Kernels – Tyler Wells". The Gazette. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Tyler Wells stellar in relief for Lookouts". Chattanooga Time Free Press. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Cedar Rapids Kernels kick off playoff series against Kane County". The Gazette. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Incoming Blue Wahoos pitcher's unspeakable hardship opened door to success". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "New Blue Wahoos visit Pensacola Beach". WKRG. February 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Twins' Tyler Wells: Set for Tommy John surgery". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
- ^ "2020 Rule 5 Draft results". MLB.com.
- ^ "For Orioles rookie Ryan Mountcastle and other first-timers, a 'surreal' first Opening Day will be worth the wait; Ruiz starts at second base".
- ^ "Orioles sweep Red Sox, 11-3, as bats break out behind Cedric Mullins, Bruce Zimmermann delivers quality start".
- ^ "How loss, on and off the field, led Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells to the back of the Orioles bullpen".
- ^ "Orioles' Tyler Wells: Earns first save".
- ^ "Home".
- ^ "Tyler Wells showed he can be successful as a starter. The Orioles showed their usage of him has its downsides. | ANALYSIS".
- ^ "John Means, Tyler Wells To Undergo UCL Surgery". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet