FORT MEYERS, Fla. – Former CSUSB pitcher Tyler Wells, who was was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in the 15th round, was recently honored by the Twins as one of four winners of the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service.

Wells was already selected as the Twins Daily 2018 Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year after he went 10-6 with a 2.49 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP and struck out 121 batters in 119 1/3 innings this year.

More impressive is his fight against cancer off the field.  Wells made several trips to Ft. Myers area hospitals with teammates throughout the season, and even in the offseason when he was there for various camps.  In addition he participated in in multiple camps, a special needs camp, a hospital visit to see kids with cancer, and helped promote and participated in a fundraiser with the VS. Cancer Foundation. He also participated in a kids camp up in Chattanooga.

The fight is personal for him as he lost his mother to cancer when he was four. 

At CSUSB, Wells became CSUSB's first First Team All-CCAA starting pitcher in 10 years after finishing the spring second in the conference in strikeouts (89), sixth in innings pitched (92), seventh in batting average allowed (.221) and eighth in ERA (2.84) in 2016, along with being an All-Region selection.

"It's a huge honor for me, as it would be for anyone to associated with the Minnesota Twins legend," Wells told Twins Daily.  "Baseball is only part of the job for us, and Harmon Killebrew was the best example you could have for being so much more than a baseball player. And I'm hoping, as I continue my career, that I can set an example like Killebrew did! "