JACK WILSON
12/29/77; '98 9th (St. Louis); Oxnard (CA) JC
R/R; 6-0, 190
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 1998 R (StL) |
.373 |
.424 |
.531 |
241 |
18 |
4 |
4 |
18 |
30 |
22 |
6 |
| 1999 A+ (StL) |
.296 |
.345 |
.366 |
257 |
10 |
1 |
2 |
19 |
31 |
7 |
4 |
| 1999 A (StL) |
.343 |
.384 |
.498 |
251 |
22 |
4 |
3 |
15 |
23 |
11 |
5 |
| 2000 AA (StL) |
.294 |
.368 |
.452 |
343 |
20 |
8 |
6 |
36 |
59 |
2 |
3 |
| 2000 AA |
.252 |
.325 |
.353 |
139 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
14 |
17 |
1 |
3 |
| 2000 A+ (StL) |
.277 |
.340 |
.447 |
47 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
| 2001 NL |
.223 |
.255 |
.295 |
390 |
17 |
1 |
3 |
16 |
70 |
1 |
3 |
| 2001 AAA |
.369 |
.430 |
.476 |
103 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
13 |
2 |
2 |
| 2002 NL |
.252 |
.306 |
.332 |
527 |
22 |
4 |
4 |
37 |
74 |
5 |
2 |
| 2003 NL |
.256 |
.303 |
.353 |
558 |
21 |
3 |
9 |
36 |
74 |
5 |
5 |
| 2004 NL |
.308 |
.335 |
.459 |
652 |
41 |
12 |
11 |
26 |
71 |
8 |
4 |
Wilson in 2004 suddenly went from being one of MLB's weakest-hitting regulars to
being possibly the best-hitting SS, or even the best overall SS, in the NL. He
had a great first half, earning a spot on the All-Star team as a reserve, although
he deserved to be the starter. He went into the break hitting 332/354/501. He
slumped in July and August, although it was indicative of his improvement that he
still slugged over .400 in both months. He rebounded to hit 326/371/461 in September.
The only negative was his extremely low walk total. Even that didn't seem to me
to result from poor plate discipline so much as from the fact that he became much
better at handling pitches away and was very good at making contact. In prior years
he tried to pull balls away from him, but in 2004 he began hitting them into the
gap in right-center or down the RF line. It's unlikely that Wilson's big year was
a fluke. He was an outstanding hitter in the low minors, but was rushed to the
majors when he clearly wasn't ready, resulting in three years of struggling. One
explanation for his sudden emergence is that he simply gained confidence. Another,
possibly related, one is the departure of most of the team's veterans. Numerous
stories in 2004 reported a dramatic improvement in the atmosphere in the Pirates'
locker room, as many of the team's veterans supposedly were quite hostile to young
players in general and Wilson in particular. In fact, his improvement actually
began in August 2003, immediately after the departures of Mike Williams and Brian
Giles. Defensively, Wilson has a penchant for highlight-reel plays that gained
him a better reputation in prior years than he may have deserved. Statistically
he was probably no better than average his first three years. In 2004, however,
he finished 3rd in the NL in zone rating and was the primary reason the Pirates
easily led MLB in DPs. Wilson also broke Gene Alley's team record for DPs in a
season by a SS. He's still a little too error-prone to be considered an elite
defensive player, as he had the 4th highest total in the NL. Wilson was just 26
at the close of the season and could very well continue to improve. Some Pirate
fans think the team should trade him while he's at his peak value and before he
gets too expensive, but this seems like a fatalistic reaction to the team's recent
salary dumps. Wilson is young enough to be a key part of a contending team in Pgh.
and is also the team's most popular player. If the Pirates can't afford to retain
a player like him, they're unlikely ever to be a contender.
Return to Shortstops