| Zander Wiel | |
|---|---|
 Wiel with the Fort Myers Miracle | |
| Free agent | |
| Outfielder /First baseman | |
| Born: (1993-01-11)January 11, 1993 (age 33) Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
Alexander McBrayer "Zander" Wiel (born January 11, 1993) is an American professionalbaseballoutfielder andfirst baseman who is a free agent. He was drafted by theMinnesota Twins in the 12th round of the2015 Major League Baseball draft. He has been on theNetherlands national baseball team in theWorld Baseball Classic.
Wiel was born and grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When he was three, his father,Randy Wiel, became the basketball coach atMiddle Tennessee State.[1] Wiel attendedBlackman High School. Wiel was named first team All-District and first team All-Region his final three years of high school.[2][3]
After high school, Wiel attendedVanderbilt University. Wiel redshirted his freshman season atVanderbilt in 2012. As a redshirt freshman, he batted .305 with five home runs and 27 RBIs in 82 at bats.[1] He was named to the Freshman All-SEC team.[4] The following year, his first full season as a starter, Wiel batted .260 with five home runs and 44 RBIs as the Commodores won the2014 College World Series.[5] After the season, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theBourne Braves of theCape Cod Baseball League,[6] and theSanford Mainers of theNew England Collegiate Baseball League.[7][8] As a redshirt junior, he posted a .316 average with 14 home runs and a team-high 65 RBIs in 2015.[9][10]
Wiel was selected in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by theMinnesota Twins.[11] After signing, he was assigned to theElizabethton Twins of therookie-levelAppalachian League, hitting .194 in 13 games played before breaking his hand in July.[10][12] The following season, Wiel played for theCedar Rapids Kernels of theMidwest League, playing in 128 games with a .259 batting average with 19 home runs, 86 RBIs and 75 runs scored. In 2017 he batted .250 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs for theClass A AdvancedFort Myers Miracle.[13] Wiel began the 2018 season with theDouble-AChattanooga Lookouts of theSouthern League and batted .311 with seven home runs and 58 RBIs. He started in the Southern League All-Star Game.[14] He earned a late season promotion to theTriple-ARochester Red Wings.[15] Wiel spent the 2019 season with Rochester and hit .254 with 40 doubles and 24 home runs.[16]
Wiel did not play in a game in 2020, due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[17] Wiel was added to the Twins' 60-man player pool for the shortened MLB season, but he did not make an appearance for the big league team.[18] In 2021, Wiel played in 2 games for the Triple-ASt. Paul Saints before landing on the injured list on May 12 with an undisclosed injury, later revealed to be a quadriceps injury.[19] The Twins released Wiel on August 25, after he began a rehab assignment.[20]
On February 16, 2022, Wiel signed with theHigh Point Rockers of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball.[21] Wiel played in 115 games for the Rockers,slashing .260/.344/.576 with 11 stolen bases. His 32 home runs and 98 RBI were both High Point franchise records.[8][22] Following the regular season, Wiel was named an Atlantic League All-Star.[23]
In 2023, Wiel played in 113 games for the Rockers, hitting .276/.349/.552 with 29 home runs and 96 RBI. On April 15, 2024, Wiel re-signed with High Point.[24] In 60 games in 2024, he hit .188/.302/.436 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI.[8]
Wiel set new franchise records with High Point with 74 home runs and 227 RBI with the team.[25]
On July 7, 2024, Wiel was traded to theYork Revolution for Will Carter.[25] In 60 games for the Revolution, he batted .323/.396/.633 with 17 home runs and 58 RBI. With York, Wiel won the Atlantic League championship. In the final game of championship series, he scored the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning.[26]
On January 28, 2025, Wiel signed with thePiratas de Campeche of theMexican League.[27][28] He was released by the Piratas prior to the start of the season on April 13.[29]
Wiel represented theNetherlands national baseball team at the2023 World Baseball Classic.[30] He did not play in any of the team's four tournament games.[31]
Wiel does not speak Dutch. Because he does not have a Dutch passport, he cannot play for the Netherlands in other international tournaments.[32]
Wiel's father,Randy Wiel, played college basketball at theUniversity of North Carolina and was the head basketball coach atUNC-Asheville,Middle Tennessee State, and theNetherlands men's national team.[33] Randy is fromCuraçao, and he took his son to Curaçao and the Netherlands as a child.[32][34]
His mother is Connie Wiel.[4][34]