"While the Twins were going through one of the worst seasons in franchise history, their 2010 first-round draft pick was going through something even worse. Alex Wimmers couldn't find the plate and, frankly, couldn't find himself.

"It was a crazy experience. It was a bad experience. But it turned into a good one," he said.

Wimmers, 23, had experienced little but success in his pitching career until one night last April, when he made his first start for Class A Fort Myers and walked the first six batters he faced.

"It wasn't even close," he said.

Shocked and shaken, Wimmers was pulled not just from the game but from competition. Sitting on an earned-run average of infinity, the two-time Big Ten pitcher of the year from Ohio State didn't pitch again until mid-July. By season's end, he had a no-hitter under his belt.

"At the end of the season, I was myself," Wimmers said Saturday from TwinsFest at the Metrodome. "I guess it took me a little bit to get back to normal. I did what I could to get back to that position. Once you sit back and think a minute, and realize the gift you've been given, and don't take everything for granted. ... There's a reason why some things happen. You just have to do the best you can to make the best of it."

On Sept. 3, in his final appearances of the season, Wimmers pitched a seven-inning, 1-0 complete-game victory over Jupiter, walking two and striking out five. It had been a long season, but he clearly had come a long way. "