FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Former Fort Myers pitchers Griffin Jax and Tyler Wells will compete for a World Series Championship as part of the staff for the American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays.
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Both pitchers were key members of the 2018 Florida State League Champion Fort Myers Miracle rotation. Jax was the Minnesota Twins’ third-round selection in 2016 out of the Air Force Academy.
The right-hander appeared in 15 games for the 2018 Miracle. That summer he had a 3.70 ERA in 87.2 innings and earned the win in game two of the FSL Championship Series.
Jax debuted with the Twins in 2021 and pitched parts of five seasons for the club at the Major League level. He was traded to the Rays as part of the Taj Bradley deal at the 2025 deadline.
In his career, Jax has a 3.91 ERA across 333 MLB games. He also represented Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Wells was selected 12 rounds after Jax in 2016 out of Cal State San Bernardino. Wells anchored the 2018 Miracle rotation with a 2.80 ERA in 16 starts, registering a 0.8888 WHIP across 86.2 innings.
He finished that season in Double-A and was an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star who also earned an FSL Pitcher of the Week honor that April. Wells was part of the Twins’ organization until December 2020, when he was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.
He made his MLB debut in 2021 and was with the Orioles until being traded to Tampa this summer. In six MLB seasons, Wells has a 3.68 ERA in 156 appearances.
Other Rays players with Fort Myers connections include pitcher Casey Legumina, who played for the Mighty Mussels in 2021. Jonathan Aranda and Taylor Walls of the Rays played for the Charlotte Stone Crabs in 2019.