Alec Thomas Mills (born November 30, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

who is a free agent. The

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

selected Mills in the 22nd round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puert ...

. He previously played for the

and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

College career

Mills attended Montgomery Central High School in Cunningham, Tennessee. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

at the

University of Tennessee at Martin The University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin or UTM) is a public university in Martin, Tennessee. It is one of the five campuses of the University of Tennessee system. UTM is the only public university in West Tennessee outside of Memphi ...

as a walk-on. Mills played at UT Martin from 2010-12. He developed from a freshman walk-on

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

who went 2-3 with an 8.51 ERA, to a setup reliever as a sophomore who went 7-4 with a 6.82 ERA, and eventually to a starting pitcher during his junior campaign going 4-6 with a 3.94 ERA. In 2011, Mills notched seven victories and three saves while making 30 appearances for a Skyhawk squad that won an OVC Tournament game for the first time. Mills ranks on UT Martin's top-10 career list in appearances (67, sixth), strikeouts (165, seventh) and wins (13, eighth).

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

After his junior year of college, the

selected Mills in the 22nd round of the

. He signed with the Royals and made his professional debut with the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleuca ...

, and was 1-4 with a 4.62 ERA. He spent 2013 with the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

, 2014 with Idaho Falls and Lexington and 2015 with the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

. The Royals added him to their 40-man roster after the season. Alec Mills on June 24, 2016

Mills began the 2016 season with the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, which ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. The Royals promoted Mills to the major leagues on May 18, and he made his major league debut that day. In 2016, in 3.1 innings he gave up five earned runs. On February 8, 2017, Mills was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the play ...

by the Royals.

Chicago Cubs

On February 8, 2017, the Royals traded Mills to the

for minor leaguer Donnie Dewees. Assigned to the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their ho ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

, he made seven appearances during the 2017 season, spending much of the year on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

with a left ankle contusion and then a strained right forearm. After returning to Iowa in 2018, the Cubs promoted Mills to start his first MLB game for injured Tyler Chatwood against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on August 24, 2018. He also got his first hit in the same game. He spent most of 2019 with Iowa, where he was 6-4 with a 5.11 ERA. Mills joined the Cubs rotation in the 2020 season after José Quintana began the season on the injured list. On September 13, 2020, Mills

no-hit In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitche ...

the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

12–0 at Miller Park. He threw 74 of 114 pitches for strikes while striking out five and walking three. It marked the 16th no-hitter in the Cubs franchise history. Mills finished the 2020 season with a 5–5 record and a 4.48 ERA in 11 starts. His home runs per nine innings rate (1.9) was the highest among qualified NL pitchers. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Personal

Mills and his wife, Paige, welcomed their first child, a son, in 2020.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Alec Living people 1991 births People from Clarksville, Tennessee Baseball players from Tennessee Major League Baseball pitchers Kansas City Royals players Chicago Cubs players UT Martin Skyhawks baseball players Idaho Falls Chukars players Lexington Legends players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Iowa Cubs players Madison Mallards players