Willie Wilson | |
---|---|
Outfielder | |
Born: Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | July 9, 1955|
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 4, 1976, for the Kansas City Royals | |
Last MLB appearance | |
May 16, 1994, for the Chicago Cubs | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .285 |
Hits | 2,207 |
Home runs | 41 |
Runs batted in | 585 |
Stolen bases | 668 |
Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Willie James Wilson (born July 9,1955) is an American former professional baseball player. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals,Oakland Athletics,and Chicago Cubs. He was an outfielder known for his speed and ability as an effective leadoff hitter. Wilson's career total of 668 stolen bases currently ranks him in 12th place all-time among major leaguers. [1]
Wilson was born in Montgomery,Alabama,but moved to Summit,New Jersey,at seven years old. [2] He was a highly regarded high school baseball,football,and basketball player at Summit High School. [3] In his senior year,he hit .436 and stole 28 bases in 28 attempts. [2]
Wilson was drafted out of high school after signing a letter of intent to play college football at Maryland. [2] The Kansas City Royals picked him in the first round (18th overall) of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft. [4] He started his professional career with the Gulf Coast Royals,batting .252 with a home run,14 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 47 games. [5] He moved up to Single-A in 1975 for the Waterloo Royals,leading the 1975 Midwest League champions in both RBI (73) and stolen bases (76). [6] In 1976,Wilson played for the Double-A Jacksonville Suns,batting .253 with a home run,35 RBI and 37 stolen bases in 107 games. [5] He earned a September call-up in 1976,playing in 12 games. He was mostly used as a pinch runner or defensive replacement,but did start one game on the penultimate day of the season. He had just six at bats,getting one hit and stealing two bases. [7]
Wilson began the 1977 season with the Triple-A Omaha Royals. In what turned out to be his last minor league action (not counting a stunt appearance in 2009),he batted .281 with four home runs,47 RBI and 74 stolen bases in 132 games. [5] He was again called up in September,this time receiving more substantial playing time,batting .324 in 34 at bats with six stolen bases. [7]
1978 was Wilson's first full season in the majors. He split the left field job with Tom Poquette,Clint Hurdle and Joe Zdeb,getting the most playing time at the position among the four,while also backing up Amos Otis in center field. Overall,he played in 127 games,but had just 198 at bats while batting .217 with 16 RBI. [7] Despite his limited playing time,he finished fifth in the American League with 46 stolen bases. [8] He also appeared in three games in the 1978 American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees,going 1-for-4 (.250) in the series. [7] He also earned a start in left field in Game 4,finishing the game 1-for-3. [9]
Wilson started the 1979 season as the Royals' fourth outfielder,but by mid-May he had established himself as the team's starting left fielder. In 154 games,he batted .315 with six home runs and 49 RBI. [7] Wilson led the league in stolen bases (83) and singles (148) while also finishing seventh in hits (185) and third in triples (13). [10] On defense,he led the league in range factor and putouts and finished second in assists among left fielders. [11]
In 1980,Wilson started the year as the starting center fielder when Amos Otis opened the season on the disabled list,and acquitted himself well,posting an above-average range factor and making just one error in 195 total chances for the year in center. He moved back to left when Otis returned in late May,and wound up leading the league in several categories. Wilson finished with a .326 average,three home runs,49 RBI and 79 stolen bases (in 89 attempts) in 161 games. [7] His 705 official at bats were a major league record until it was surpassed by Jimmy Rollins in 2007. [12] He also led the league in hits (230),runs scored (133),triples (15),and singles (184). Wilson finished second in stolen bases,and had at least 100 hits from both sides of the plate. He won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards,and was fourth in the AL MVP voting,his best finish. [7]
During Game 2 of the 1980 ALCS,the Yankees' Willie Randolph was on second base in the top of the eighth with two outs and the Royals up by just one run. Bob Watson hit a ball to the left field corner of Royals Stadium. The ball bounced right to Wilson,but Yankee third base coach Mike Ferraro waved Randolph home. Wilson overthrew U L Washington,the cut-off man,but George Brett was in position behind him to catch the ball,then throw to Darrell Porter,who tagged out Randolph in a slide. TV cameras captured Yankee owner George Steinbrenner fuming immediately after the play. The Royals won 3–2. [13] Wilson batted .308 and tied George Brett for the team lead in runs batted in with four during the series as the Royals swept the Yankees in three straight games. [14] In the 1980 World Series,Wilson batted just .154 and struck out against Tug McGraw for the final out of the Royals' Game 6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. [15] This strikeout was Wilson's 12th of the Series,breaking the record of 11 held jointly by Eddie Mathews and Wayne Garrett in the 1958 and 1973 World Series,respectively. [16] Ryan Howard would break Wilson's record by striking out 13 times in the 2009 World Series. [17]
Wilson's batting average slipped to .303 in the strike-shortened 1981 season,and most of his other numbers were off from the previous two seasons as well. In the 1981 American League Division Series against the Oakland A's,he batted .308,but failed to score a run,steal a base,or get an extra-base hit in the three-game sweep. [7]
In 1982,Wilson bounced back to bat .332 with three home runs and 46 RBI in 136 games. [7] He won the AL batting title,the first switch hitter to do so since Mickey Mantle in 1956. [18] Although the Royals missed the playoffs for the first time since 1979,Wilson made his first American League All-Star team that year and winning his second Silver Slugger Award. [7] He led the league in singles (157) for the fourth year in a row and in triples (15) for the second time in three seasons. [19]
In 1983,Wilson moved to center field in June when the club decided to shuffle their outfield,moving long-time center fielder Otis to right field,and moving Pat Sheridan and Leon Roberts,who had been sharing right field,over to left. In the midst of the shuffle,Wilson had his worst season at the plate to date,batting .276 with two home runs and 33 RBI in 137 games. [7] Although he still finished third in the league with 59 stolen bases and made the All-Star Team for the second time,his on-base percentage and slugging percentage also hit what were to that point career lows at .316 and .352 respectively. [7] However,Wilson's problems in 1983 were not limited to on-field issues.
After the end of the 1983 season,Wilson found himself in a drug scandal along with teammates Willie Aikens,Vida Blue,and Jerry Martin. All four pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug charges (attempting to purchase cocaine) on November 17. [20] They became the first active major leaguers to serve jail time, [21] serving 81 days at the Fort Worth,Texas,Federal Correctional Institution. He was suspended by commissioner Bowie Kuhn for the entire 1984 season,but the suspension was reduced on appeal and he was able to return on May 15. [20] The Royals traded or released the other three, [22] with only Wilson returning to the Royals. He hit .301 with two home runs and 44 RBI in 128 games,and stole 47 bases in 52 attempts. [7]
In 1985,Wilson batted .278 with four home runs,43 RBI and 43 stolen bases in 141 games. He led the league in triples for the third time with a career-high 21. [7] Wilson also gained a measure of redemption from his 1980 World Series performance,hitting .310 against Toronto in the 1985 ALCS and .367 against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1985 World Series,helping the Royals to their first World Championship. [7]
Wilson remained a fixture in the outfield for the Royals over the next five seasons. Although his hitting was not what it once was,he still hit a career-high nine home runs in 1986,led the league twice more in triples (1987-88) and continued to finish in the top ten in steals,a run of 11 seasons that lasted until 1988,and may have continued had he not missed chunks of the 1989 and 1990 seasons to injuries. He also continued to play well defensively,leading the league in fielding percentage among center fielders in 1987,and among all outfielders in 1990,when he finished the year without a single error. [7]
Wilson left the Royals following the 1990 season as a free agent,and he was signed by the Oakland Athletics on December 3,1990. [7] He replaced Félix José,who had been traded late in 1990,as the fourth outfielder behind Rickey Henderson,Dave Henderson and Jose Canseco. He played 113 games,including at least 19 at all three outfield positions,and batted .238 with 28 RBI and 20 stolen bases. [7]
In 1992,Dave Henderson missed most of the season with a hamstring injury, [23] leaving Wilson as the starting center fielder. He played in 132 games,his most since 1988,and batted .270 with 37 RBI and 28 stolen bases. [7] In his first playoff action since the 1985 World Series,he stole seven bases in the 1992 ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays,tying Lou Brock's record for steals in one post-season (Brock stole seven bases each in the 1967 and 1968 World Series). He batted just .227,however,and the A's lost the series in six games. [7]
Wilson became a free agent again after the 1992 season,and he signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Cubs on December 18,1992. [24] He started 1993 in a center field platoon with Dwight Smith,later splitting time with Sammy Sosa when the latter wasn't playing in right field. He batted .258 with one home run and 11 RBI in 105 games,but managed just seven stolen bases—a career-low for a full season. [7] Wilson began the 1994 season on the bench behind Tuffy Rhodes. After playing just 17 games that year and recording a .238 batting average,he was released on May 16,ending his major league career. [7]
Wilson retired with a .285 career batting average and 668 stolen bases,which ranks 12th all-time. [1] For his career,Wilson hit 13 inside-the-park home runs,the most of any major league player playing after 1950. [25] He topped a .300 batting average five times and also led the league in triples five times,being one of only four players to accomplish the feat. Wilson posted a .987 fielding percentage as an outfielder in the majors.
Wilson coached in the Toronto Blue Jays system in 1995 and 1997. He was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2003,Wilson was named manager of the London Monarchs of the fledgling Canadian Baseball League,but the league folded halfway through the season. Wilson also came out of retirement in 2009,signing a one-day contract with the Kansas City T-Bones,a team playing in the independent Northern League. [26] He currently runs the Willie Wilson Baseball Foundation in Kansas City,Missouri. [25]
Ruppert Sanderson Jones is an American former Major League Baseball center fielder. He was the first player selected in the 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft by the Seattle Mariners.
William Hayward "Mookie" Wilson is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and coach who played for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays over 12 major league seasons. He is best remembered as the Met who hit the ground ball that rolled through Bill Buckner's legs in the bottom of the 10th inning of game six of the 1986 World Series.
Steven Allen Finley is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks; he is one of only two players, along with Matt Herges, to play for all five National League West teams. An outstanding all-around player with power, speed, and defensive skill, he is one of only four players since 1945 with 300 home runs and 100 triples, along with Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and George Brett. He is also one of three players, along with Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., to have 2,500 hits and win five Gold Glove Awards in center field.
Tommy Harper is an American former professional baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven different franchises from 1962 to 1976, including six seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and three seasons each with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Boston Red Sox.
Amos Joseph Otis is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1967 to 1984, most prominently as an integral member of the Kansas City Royals team that won the franchise's first American League Western Division championship in 1976, and their first American League pennant in 1980. Although the Royals lost the 1980 World Series in six games to the Philadelphia Phillies, Otis produced a .478 batting average with three home runs in what would be his only World Series appearance.
Kenneth Lance Johnson is an American former professional baseball center fielder.
Willy Taveras is a Dominican former professional baseball center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played a total of seven seasons for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nationals.
Raúl Javier Ibañez is an American former professional baseball left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) now serving as vice president of baseball development and special projects for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played 11 of his 19 big league seasons for the Seattle Mariners, while also playing for the Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. While primarily a left fielder, Ibañez often saw considerable time as a designated hitter (DH), throughout his career.
Vada Edward Pinson Jr. was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball for 18 years (1958–1975), most notably for the Cincinnati Reds, for whom he played from 1958 to 1968 as a four-time National League All-Star. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1977. The 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 170 lb (77 kg) Pinson, who batted and threw left-handed, combined power, speed, and strong defensive ability.
William Henry Davis was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as a center fielder from 1960 through 1979, most prominently as an integral member of the Los Angeles Dodgers teams that won three National League pennants and two World Series titles between 1963 and 1966.
Alonza Benjamin Bumbry is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres from 1972 through 1985. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie of the Year, and went on to be an All-Star and World Series champion. He is an inductee of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Prior to his major league career, Bumbry served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and was awarded a Bronze Star.
Robert Hayes Veach was an American professional baseball player from 1910 to 1930 including 14 seasons in the major leagues. He was the starting left fielder for the Detroit Tigers from 1912 to 1923 and also played for the Boston Red Sox (1924–1925), New York Yankees (1925), and Washington Senators (1925).
Roy Cleveland Johnson was an American left fielder and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers (1929–32), Boston Red Sox (1932–35), New York Yankees (1936–37) and Boston Bees (1937–38). A native of Pryor, Oklahoma, who grew up in Tacoma, Washington, he was the elder brother of "Indian Bob" Johnson, also a major league outfielder. The Johnson brothers were one-quarter Cherokee.
Jerry Wayne Mumphrey is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1974–79), San Diego Padres (1980), New York Yankees (1981–83), Houston Astros (1983–85) and Chicago Cubs (1986–88). Mumphrey was an All-Star in 1984.
Joseph Henry Lefebvre is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played all or parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees (1980), San Diego Padres (1981–83) and Philadelphia Phillies, primarily as an outfielder. He currently serves as senior advisor for scouting for the San Francisco Giants.
Brett Michael Gardner is an American former professional baseball outfielder who spent his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees.
The 1980 Kansas City Royals season was their 12th in Major League Baseball. The Royals, under new manager Jim Frey, finished first in the American League West with a record of 97–65. Kansas City finally broke through in the postseason, sweeping the New York Yankees 3-0 in the 1980 American League Championship Series after falling to the Yankees in the ALCS in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The Royals lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in the World Series.
Lorenzo Lamar Cain is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the 17th round of the 2004 MLB draft from Tallahassee Community College in Florida. In 2010, Cain made his MLB debut, and, following the season, the Brewers traded him to Kansas City with three other players for pitcher Zack Greinke.
Jackie Bradley Jr., nicknamed "JBJ", is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Kansas City Royals. Listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 200 pounds (91 kg), he bats left and throws right-handed.
Harrison Joseph Bader, nicknamed "Tots", is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets.
NFL draft day found Willie Wilson in New York with baseball's K.C. Royals, and the Associated Press remarked that if the erstwhile Summit, N.J., prep football flash had gone on to play with Maryland after signing a letter of intent, he might have gotten rich as a No. 1 pro football draft pick.