Alex Wimmers was the Twins’ first-round pick last June after winning back-to-back Big Ten pitcher of the year awards at Ohio State and ranked No. 5 on my annual list of the Twins’ top prospects.
After signing Wimmers debuted with a 0.57 ERA and 23/5 K/BB ratio in 16 innings at Single-A, but his first start back at Fort Myers this year couldn’t have gone any worse, as he walked the first six batters before being yanked with no outs in the first inning.
Wimmers was a strike-throwing machine in college and his pro debut, but clearly this goes well beyond simple control issues. He threw just four of 28 pitches for strikes, uncorked three wild pitches in addition to the six walks, and was immediately placed on the minor-league disabled list with “flu-like symptoms” after the disastrous start. Wimmers isn’t actually sick, but that’s a way for the Twins to shut him down without the presence of an injury.
He’s been pulled from Fort Myers’ rotation and sent to extended spring training to work on his mechanics, as the Twins don’t want to let things snowball after watching what happened to 2008 first-round pick Shooter Hunt when his control suddenly abandoned him following a good pro debut. Hunt has 145 walks in 104 innings since 2009, falling off the prospect map. There’s no reason to assume Wimmers is destined for the same fate, but it’s an awfully scary red flag.