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First, a little background on Wiel.
Wiel’s career at Vanderbilt was often overshadowed by marquee players like teammate Dansby Swanson, who went first overall in the 2015 draft, as well as other big names in the SEC including Alex Bregman (second overall, Astros) and Andrew Benintendi (seventh overall, Red Sox). Wiel, meanwhile, put up respectable numbers in his junior year, finishing with 15 home runs (tied for fifth in the conference) and second in runs batted in (68). Those totals in a tough conference -- where pitching opponents included Florida’s AJ Puk and Logan Shore as well as LSU’s Alex Lange -- and future potential led the Twins in his direction during the 12th round of that year’s draft.
The first thing that jumps out about Wiel’s college track record is the significant increase in his home runs total -- from 5 to 15 -- between his sophomore and junior seasons. The catalyst, he said, was the addition of a leg kick. The first baseman spent his first two years at Vanderbilt employing the standard toe tap (as you can see from his
Wiel spent the summer collegiate league refining and perfecting the movements that he felt put everything in better position to drive the ball.
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Despite the improved numbers, evaluators questioned how well Wiel would do in the professional ranks. Baseball Prospectus said that he “tends to get too far forward in his weight shift, sweeping the barrel through the zone rather than driving it” and wondered if he would struggle switching from metal BBCore bats to wood. MinorLeagueBall.com’s John Sickels noted that there were some concerns about Wiel’s “non-conventional” swing heading into the draft. Most outlets agreed that he would be taken sometime between the fourth and seventh rounds so the Twins considered him a steal in the 12th round when he continued to fall.
In just his second game of his professional career, Wiel was hit by a pitch playing for Elizabethton and fractured his hand. He would miss the majority of that season, playing in the final ten games for the E-Twins. When he returned, in order to improve his timing, he simplified his swing by nixing the leg kick.
With an entire offseason to heal, Wiel brought the modified swing with him to Cedar Rapids to start the 2016 season.
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By the end of June, Wiel was hitting .232/.309/.362 with just four home runs in a little over 300 plate appearances. He said his timing was off. He felt robotic. He was getting beat on fastballs. He made a decision to go big.
"Lifting my leg a little more has allowed me to have my trigger more ready to go," Wiel explained to MiLB.com’s Curt Rallo. "I was robotic. Now it's smoother for me. I'm able to see those pitches and hit them out front.”
Wiel went even larger and more aggressive with his movements than his Vandy days.
From July onward, Wiel hit .291/.360/.574 with 15 home runs in 259 plate appearances. His 19 home runs on the year were second in the Midwest League but it is hard not to think about what kind of damage he could do with an entire season with his new mechanics.
Because it is the first thing someone notices about Wiel at the plate the leg kick draws the most attention but he also reset his hands in a better attack position. Previously, Wiel kept the barrel over his back shoulder and brought it straight up before launching it forward. Now his hands and bat are the quietest thing about his swing. The bat is tipped toward the pitcher and held still. This, he emphasized to reporters, was to keep him short to the ball and to keep him from being beat on fastballs inside.
Wiel’s breakout in low-A ball is noteworthy, to be sure, but there are several caveats such as Wiel’s advanced age. At 23 years old, he is two years older than the league’s average. He’s older than Max Kepler, Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton. Obviously Wiel had a delayed start to his career given that he spent three years in college (and one year redshirting) but you would like to see him outperforming a league in which he is younger than the pool. Nevertheless, Wiel’s breakout season is very much parallel with Kepler’s, who implemented a leg kick to his swing in Double-A and quickly rose on national prospect ranking.
Wiel’s 2016 performance doesn’t seem to be a hot streak or fluky -- he’s made the right adjustments. Time will tell where he goes from here.
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!
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