Zander Wiel

Alexander McBrayer Wiel

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.

• School Vanderbilt University
• High School Blackman High School

• Born January 11, 1993 in Murfreesboro, TN USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Zander Wiel has played in the minor leagues and for the Netherlands national team.

Wiel was redshirted as a college freshman. He hit .305/.406/.549 in 2013 and .260/.378/.409 in 2014; he helped Vanderbilt win the 2014 College World Series. That summer, he batted .265/.323/.494 for the Bourne Braves, with 20 RBI in 22 games. He tied for 5th in the Cape Cod League with five home runs despite only playing about half the time. He produced at a .316/.406/.571 clip for Vanderbilt in 2015, driving in 68 in 72 contests. He tied Alex Bregman for 8th in the Southeastern Conference in runs (59), tied Nick Banks for 6th in hits (87), tied for 7th in doubles (19), tied Dansby Swanson and Rhett Wiseman for 6th in dingers (15) and was second in RBI, 5 behind JJ Schwarz. Vanderbilt went to the 2015 College World Series.

He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 12th round of the 2015 Amateur Draft, being scouted by Alan Sandberg. He went 7-for-36 with the Elizabethton Twins in his first season. He crushed 19 homers with a .260/.333/.459 batting line for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2016, losing the Midwest League home run title by one behind Isan Díaz. He led the loop with 86 RBI, five ahead of Eloy Jiménez and Brett Sullivan. He was 5th in slugging, between Díaz and Shed Long. Among Twins farmhands, he tied D.J. Hicks for 4th with 27 doubles, trailed only Zack Granite in runs, trailed only Daniel Palka and Adam Walker in home runs, tied Granite for second in triples (8), was behind only Palka in RBI (4 shy) and was 4th in walks (55, between Palka and LaMonte Wade Jr.

The Tennessee native hit .250/.344/.429 with 13 homers for the Fort Myers Miracle in 2017. He tied Travis Blankenhorn, Niko Goodrum and Jermaine Palacios for 7th in the Twins chain in homers, tied Palacios and Wade for 4th in RBI (68), was 3rd in walks (62) and tied for 7th in triples (6). Wiel played 101 games with a .311/.382/.446 batting line in 2018 for the Chattanooga Lookouts, and he had a 10-for-51 record with the AAA Rochester Red Wings. He was second in the Southern League in average, .020 behind Kevin Medrano and was second in OBP, .002 shy of Nick Solak. He tied Brian Schales for 6th with 27 doubles. He tied José Miranda for 4th among Minnesota minor leaguers in two-baggers. He was named a SL All-Star, joining Corey Ray, Jamie Westbrook and Monte Harrison in the outfield.

He stayed in Rochester in 2019, and he blasted 24 homers with 40 doubles and a .254/.320/.514 batting line. He scored the most runs of a Twins farmhand (86, 10 more than Drew Maggi), easily led in doubles (10 ahead of Trevor Larnach), tied for third in triples (5), was one home run behind leader Jaylin Davis and was second in RBI (78, 13 behind Wilin Rosario). He was second in the 2019 IL in runs (one behind Ryan McBroom), led in doubles (three more than Christian Colón), tied for 8th in triples, tied Will Craig for 6th in RBI and missed the top 10 in slugging by .003 shy of Eric Haase. He tied Drew Waters for third in the minor leagues in doubles, one behind David Fry and Mike Gerber.

After the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the minor leagues, Wiel struggled in 2021. He only played 2 games for the St. Paul Saints before he suffered from a quadriceps injury. Wiel was 3-for-25 for the FCL Twins after returning, and the Twins released him. He signed with the independent High Point Rockers in 2022, and he recorded a .260/.344/.576 batting line with 32 homers and 98 RBI. He set the team records for most RBI and homers in a season. He was second in the Atlantic League in home runs (a distant 16 behind Courtney Hawkins) and tied Luke Becker for third in RBI. He joined Hawkins and Alejandro De Aza as the All-Star outfielders.

Wiel was on the roster for the Netherlands in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but he didn't appear in any games. He was one of four Americans on the roster alongside Josh Palacios and Richie Palacios as well as Derek West. He extended his solid batting in 2023, and he hit .276/.349/.552 with 29 homers and 96 RBI. He was 5th in home runs and RBI and tied for 7th with 12 times plunked. However, he slumped to .188/.302/.436 in 60 games in 2024, and he was traded to the York Revolution for Will Carter in July. Wiel bounced back with the Revolution, and he hit .323/.396/.633 in 60 games for them. Despite his slow start, he still was 5th in the Atlantic League in home runs (30) as well as 4th in doubles (30, between Gaige Howard and Jacob Rhinesmith) and 7th in RBI (91, between Ben Aklinski and Kole Cottam). He was 0-for-6 with the Cangrejeros de Santurce and hit .333/.382/.540 in 18 games for the Leones de Ponce in the winter.