Amateur
Wilson led his Barrington, Illinois Little League team to a third-place finish in the 1981 Little League World Series. At Barrington High School, he starred as a pitcher, with a 27–1 win–loss record his final two seasons, and catcher. He was selected in the 26th round of the 1987 MLB draft by the New York Mets. Wilson did not sign, electing to play college baseball. [3] [4]
At the University of Minnesota, Wilson pitched in an NCAA Tournament Regional game his first year in 1988, also batting .347 for the season. [5] That summer, he played summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [6] In 1989, he was named to the second-team All-Big Ten Conference team with Minnesota, then played for the U.S. Collegiate National Team in the summer, batting .325 in 30 games. [5] [7] In his junior season, Wilson batted .370 and was a first-team All American. Following his playing career, Wilson was inducted into the Golden Gophers' Hall of Fame in 2008. [5]
Seattle Mariners (1994–2005)
Following the 1993 season, the Reds traded Wilson and pitcher Bobby Ayala to the Seattle Mariners for second baseman Bret Boone and pitcher Erik Hanson. [11] Wilson made the Mariners' roster out of spring training in 1994 and became an established major-league player, replacing Dave Valle as the M's primary catcher. [12] In his first full season in the majors, Wilson struggled at the plate, batting .216, but he showed signs of his defensive ability with a .986 fielding percentage. That was the lowest fielding percentage he would have in the years he spent as the Mariners' primary catcher. The 1995 season went better for him; he played 119 games, batting .278 and raising his fielding percentage to .995, as the Mariners won the American League (AL) West division for the first time in franchise history. [10] [13] In his first postseason, Wilson batted 2-for-33, going hitless in six AL Championship Series games. [14]
Wilson hit three home runs on April 11, 1996 in Detroit. [15] That July, he made his only All-Star appearance. In the 1996 season, Wilson set career highs with 146 games played, 18 home runs, 83 runs batted in, and a .774 OPS. [10]
Wilson was the battery-mate for Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson on June 24, 1997, when Johnson struck out 19 batters in a game against the Oakland Athletics, just one strikeout less than the major league single-game record of 20 strikeouts in a 9 inning game. [16] Approximately six weeks later on August 8, Johnson, again throwing to Wilson, struck out 19 Chicago White Sox batters. [17] In Wilson and his team's second playoff appearance, he extended his postseason hitless streak to 10 games as the Mariners lost in the AL Division Series. [14]
On May 3, 1998, Wilson hit an inside-the-park grand slam, an unusual feat for any ballplayer, especially for a catcher. [18] That July, he tore ligaments in his left ankle while chasing after a passed ball, sending him to the disabled list for the first time in his career. [19]
Wilson remained a dependable receiver for Mariners pitchers over the next several seasons. In 2000, Wilson's numbers declined to a .235 batting average and .990 fielding percentage; he was also limited to 90 games as a result of injuries. [10] That postseason, he batted 1-for-14, snapping his 15-game postseason hitless streak in the final loss to the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series. [14] However, he regained his form in 2001, playing 123 games (122 at catcher) and posting a .265 batting average and a .999 fielding percentage, making 1 error all season. [10] In his final playoffs, he batted .179 with a double, his only career postseason extra base hit. [14] Though it was late in his career, he hit .295 in 115 games for the Mariners in 2002 and had a .998 fielding percentage over 96 games in 2003. In his last full, healthy season, he batted .251 with 33 RBI in 2004. [10]
Wilson lost his starting job at the beginning of the 2005 season to Miguel Olivo. On May 4, Wilson suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He had considered retiring after the 2005 season, [20] and he announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season, on September 12. [1] Although a torn ACL commonly keeps athletes sidelined for most of a season, Wilson spent most of the rest of the season rehabilitating his knee and was activated from the disabled list on September 30. He came back for one final inning that night against the Oakland Athletics; he had not recovered enough to swing a bat, but he was able to crouch and throw. The Mariners' starting pitcher that night was Jamie Moyer, whom Wilson had caught for 190 previous starts dating back to 1996. Moyer pitched to five batters in the inning, which ended when Bobby Kielty flied out to center field, and held Oakland scoreless. Moyer pitched seven more innings, and the Mariners defeated the Athletics, 4–1. [21] [22]
