Tyler Wells has come a long way as a major league pitcher.
The 6-foot-8, 260-pound right-hander was picked up by the Orioles from the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 Draft in December 2020.
Wells initially carved out a role in the bullpen and eventually worked his way into the starting rotation. Now, he is one of the Orioles’ most consistent pitchers.
“It’s been a lot of fun because it’s been a lot of learning experiences,” Wells said of the transition from reliever to starter. “The two things are really different in how you have to approach it. Last year was definitely a good learning experience for that. Early in the season, I had more of a reliever mentality as I tried to take the mound as a starter. I just wasn’t having a whole lot of success. As the year went on, I found my groove back into that starter mentality. Now, having a full year as a starter and carrying over that mentality, it’s been awesome and been a lot of fun.”
Wells improved to 5-2 with a 3.24 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 13 appearances (12 starts) following his June 9 outing against the Kansas City Royals. Wells struck out seven or more batters in five consecutive starts from mid-May to early June.
The 28-year-old is getting more confident with each start, but he understands the importance of maintaining confidence without getting too comfortable.
“[If] you have a lack of confidence in anything, it doesn’t allow you to be successful,” he said. “You’re always kind of worried in the back of your head. A lot of guys in the big leagues can attest to that. For me, the daily routine and daily work set you up to be confident in your next start. There really never is a comfort zone. It is always a game of adjustments.
“A lot of times when you see guys who have been starters in the big leagues, they are never really comfortable. They are always striving to be the best that they can possibly be. I’m trying to take a similar approach to that. I’m never trying to get comfortable, but I am always trying to find a routine and pattern that works for me and allows me to continue to be successful on the mound each and every time.”
Wells made his major league debut in 2021 as a reliever, posting a 4.11 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 57 innings. Last spring, the Orioles decided to move the right-hander into the starting rotation, which had been his role in college and the minor leagues. However, the team wanted to be careful with his innings because Wells had undergone Tommy John surgery in 2019 and hadn’t pitched during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Despite those limitations, Wells has strengthened his pitching repertoire. His four-seam fastball reaches 95 mph and he is also able to throw a slider, curveball, cutter and changeup.
In 2022, he set career highs in starts (23), wins (seven), innings pitched (103.2) and strikeouts (76). Wells was tied for second on the team in starts with Kyle Bradish, trailing only Jordan Lyles (32).
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is confident about Wells pitching deep into games because the imposing right-hander has shown that he is fully healthy.
“I never really saw him get extended long,” Hyde said. “It’s a totally different mindset coming out of the bullpen. I didn’t know if he was durable or not, to post every five days. I was hoping, and last year he proved to a lot of people that he’s able to take the ball every fifth day.”
Wells is a grinder, and that personality has endeared him to his coaches and teammates. After Bradish was hit on the right foot by a 104 mph line drive in the second inning against the Texas Rangers on April 3, Wells took over and was dominant. He threw five scoreless innings with no hits, no walks and two strikeouts in the 2-0 victory.
That performance further elevated his status as a starter.
“You just go out there and you do it,” Wells said of the emergency outing. “You don’t even have time to think, and it’s pretty quick and it happens really fast. Sometimes, that works out in your favor as well.”
In Wells’ first season with the Orioles, the team lost 110 games. Now, players like Wells, catcher Adley Rutschman and infielder Gunnar Henderson are leading the charge of young players who are turning the Orioles into contenders.
“It’s been incredible,” Wells said. “Honestly, it’s been a lot of fun because you see the guys come in and out, but you also see the core group of guys that have been here ever since I’ve been here. It’s been awesome to not only see how the team h as evolved but also how those core group of guys has evolved into leaders of this team, especially guys like Adley who has fallen into that role of being a team leader and being a guy who goes out there every day and plays his heart out.
“Seeing that evolution has been really cool and hopefully it continues because I think we have a lot of great young guys in the organization, especially down on the farm. Hopefully, as they continue to come up and make an impact, it’s the same thing for them.”
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox