Alex Wimmers

Alex Michael Wimmers

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• School Ohio State University
• High School Archbishop Moeller High School
• Debut August 26, 2016
• Final Game June 17, 2017
• Born November 1, 1988 in Cincinnati, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Alex Wimmers was a first-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft.

Wimmers had a 0.89 ERA as a high school senior and was All-Ohio. Overall, he had a 1.20 ERA in high school and hit .457, the highest career mark in school history - the school has produced Buddy Bell, Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr., Don Zimmer and several other major leaguers. He also threw the first perfect game in school history.

Alex had a 4.50 ERA as a college freshman with 51 K in 40 innings. He saved three games. As a sophomore, Alex had a 9-2, 3.27 record. He held opponents to a .211 average and struck out 136 in 104 2/3 innings. He threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in OSU history, doing so against the University of Michigan. Wimmers was 10th in NCAA Division I in K per per 9 innings, between Drew Pomeranz and Anthony Ranaudo, and was 5th in total Ks behind only Stephen Strasburg, Mike Leake, Ranaudo and Louis Coleman. He was third in the Big Ten Conference in ERA and led in strikeouts. He split Big 10 Pitcher of the Year honors with Eric Arnett. Baseball America picked him as a third-team All-American alongside Josh Spence, Tommy Mendonca and A.J. Pollock.

Wimmers was 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA for the Bourne Braves in the summer of 2009, with 37 K in 22 innings and only 12 hits allowed. Baseball America named him the Cape Cod League's #3 prospect behind Chris Sale and Zack Cox and right ahead of Jedd Gyorko.

Alex was sidelined for a month of 2010 with a hamstring injury. He returned to go 9-9 with a 1.60 ERA. He led the Big Ten in ERA and opponent average (.218) and was named the Conference's Pitcher of the Year. The Minnesota Twins took him 21st in the 2010 draft, the 2nd-highest draft pick in OSU history after Nick Swisher in 2002. He was signed by scout Jay Weitzel for a reported $1.332 million bonus.

Wimmers made his pro debut on August 21 for the Fort Myers Miracle, tossing 2 2/3 innings of one-hit, no-run, four-strikeout ball against the Bradenton Marauders. He finished his debut pro season 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA in 16 innings over 4 starts. However he showed up to spring training in 2011 physically unprepared and pulled a hamstring. In his first start, he walked 6 straight batters, threw 3 wild pitches, and had 24 balls against 4 strikes. The Twins put him the disabled list to work on his psyche until July. Wimmers ended up throwing a 7 inning no-hitter against the Jupiter Hammerheads in September. He finished the year at 2-3, Sv, 4.20 in 12 games (4 starts) for Fort Myers and with one shutout inning for the GCL Twins.

Alex started 2012 with the New Britain Rock Cats but only pitched one game (2 R in 4 1/3 IP) before a right elbow injury sidelined him. He made one rehab appearance with the GCL Twins (4 H, 3 R in 2/3 IP, 0-1). He only pitched six games for the 2013 GCL Twins (0-1, 7.20, 25 H in 15 IP). In 2014, he was back to pitching regularly, appearing for Fort Myers (3-3, 4.04 in 18 G) and New Britain (1-0, Sv, 3.74 in 13 G). With the 2015 Chattanooga Lookouts, he had a 8-4, 4.53 record, more wins than he had picked up in his first five seasons as a pro.

In 2016, he was a full-time reliever, pitching for the Lookouts (0-1, 6.43 in 6 G), the Rochester Red Wings (2-1, 3.62 in 39 G) and finally getting the call to the majors, six years after being a prominent draft pick, replacing Jose Berrios on the 2016 Twins' roster. He relieved Ryan O'Rourke with a 15-7 deficit in the 8th inning in his MLB debut, facing Toronto. After his long and bumpy road to the majors, he had a smooth debut, retiring Darwin Barney on a grounder then fanning both Justin Smoak and Ezequiel Carrera.

Sources

• OSU bio
• 2010 Baseball Almanac
• 2016 Twins Media Guide

Related Sites

• Alex Wimmers on mlb.com
• BR Minors page