Control artist Wells named O's top Minors hurler

September 5th, 2017
Alex Wells issued the fewest walks (10) in Minor League Baseball. (Joey Gardner/FotoJoe)

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have named left-hander Alex Wells the Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the 2017 season, the club announced on Tuesday.
Wells, on hand at Camden Yards for the O's game against the Yankees, went 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA, allowing 37 earned runs over 140 innings with a career-high 113 strikeouts. He had 17 quality starts in 25 outings for Class A Delmarva.
Wells led the South Atlantic League in ERA and WHIP (0.91), and he was tied for second in wins. In 11 starts at home, he went 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA (13 earned runs in 67 innings), 52 strikeouts and just three walks. He finished the season with 68 straight innings without walking a batter, including not issuing a free pass in his final 11 starts of the season.

Wells walked just 10 batters all season, the fewest in all of Minor League Baseball (minimum 110 innings). The 20-year-old is the O's No. 16 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com.
His twin brother, Lachlan, signed with the Twins in 2014 and is also a left-handed pitcher.