| Paul Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1973-03-28)March 28, 1973 (age 52) Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 4, 1996, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 16, 2005, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 40–58 |
| Earned run average | 4.86 |
| Strikeouts | 619 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Paul Anthony Wilson (born March 28, 1973) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. Aright-hander, he played all or parts of seven seasons inMajor League Baseball. Wilson was thefirst overall pick in the1994 MLB Draft.
Wilson played collegebaseball for theFlorida State University Seminoles under head coachMike Martin.
Wilson was selected with thefirst overall pick in the1994 MLB Draft by theNew York Mets. In hisminor league career, he was billed alongsideJason Isringhausen andBill Pulsipher as a future Mets star. The three were dubbed by sportswriters and fans as "Generation K".
In 1995, Wilson went a combined 11–6 with a 2.41 ERA while playing for the Double–ABinghamton Mets and Triple–ANorfolk Tides. He earned Baseball America 1st team minor league All-Star honors and was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year.
After spending just a season and a half in the minors, Wilson was called up in 1996 and made 26 starts for the Mets. He finished 5–12 with an ERA of 5.38. He spent the following two seasons in the minors, albeit limited due to injuries. He missed the entire 1999 season.
On July 28, 2000, he was traded to theTampa Bay Devil Rays. He made 11 appearances, 7 starts for the Devil Rays. In 2001, Wilson opened the season in the bullpen for Tampa Bay but was later shifted to the rotation. In 37 appearances, 24 starts, he went 8–9 with a 4.88 ERA and a career high 119 strikeouts. In 2002, he went 6–12 with a 4.83 ERA in a career high 30 starts. He also led the Devil Rays in innings pitched. He became a free agent after the season. He signed a contract with theCincinnati Reds. In 2003, Wilson went 8–10 in 28 starts. On July 10, 2003, Wilson faced eightHouston Astros and failed to record an out.[1] In 2004, he won a career high 11 games.
On May 6, 2005, Wilson was the starting pitcher against theLos Angeles Dodgers, and was unable to get out any of the first eight Dodgers batters in the first inning. The inning went hit batsman-homer-single-homer-walk-hit batsman-double-double, before Wilson was pulled from the game.[2] He is one of six starting pitchers in MLB history to fail to get out any of the first eight batters of the opposing team in a game, and the only one to do so twice.[2]On March 21, 2007, Wilson was released by the Reds, after another setback as he tried to come back from shoulder surgery.
Wilson played for theReno Silver Sox of theGolden Baseball League in 2008, before his release on June 8.
· Baseball Almanac