2009 Review: Josh Wilson

They say there are three sides to every story. Josh Wilson’s story is no different. In 2009 those different stories come from his stats, his streaks and his talent.

Josh Wilson was picked up on waivers from San Diego Padres on June 19th, who also had picked him up from Arizona just 1 month prior.

He tooled around on the team for about a month, where he only had 4 plate appearances prior to being  designated for assignment and then sent  to AAA Tacoma for about month. He was recalled on August 13th to fill an infielder role, when Adrian Beltre went down.

His first stint he was nothing but a blip on the radar and he didn’t  really impress anyone. Really, the only reason he was even recalled was because there was no one to to fill-in as an infielder.

Then something really weird happened, he caught on fire. His first game back he hit a home run, and in a city that see’s those few and far between that instantly catapulted him into the fan base. Follow that with an solid hit streak and some decent defense.

This brought a thought to the fan base that maybe Jack Wilson wasn’t needed.  We suddenly had a shortstop that was visibly decent. What most people didn’t and some still don’t quiet understand, is the unique situation where once in awhile a player will play above his ability.

This crazy phenomenon happens in most all sports. But, just like those other sports such a streak only lasts for so long.

The problem with Josh Wilson is once the streak ended people who had not previously seen him or knew who he was already had a preconceived idea of who they wanted him to be.

This is not a sit and make fun of Josh Wilson post. I really think he did a great job with the chance he got and I’m sure that there is going to be some team that will take a flier on him and he will be a bench/role player for that team. But that is the type of player Josh Wilson is, a role player. Nothing more, and despite his crazy streak he still posted below average numbers for his 138 Plate apprehensive.

His wOBA was a slim .298, struck out 25% of the time while only walking 4%.  He does not possess the defense to make up for poor offensive showing. He was average at best in the infield while posting a -1.2 UZR in 54 games at short stop this past year between the D-Backs, Padres and Ms.

In summation, Josh Wilson filled a greatly needed utility role for the 2009 Mariners and left us with some found memories of exciting plays he made. But understand that going into the off-season with a question mark lingering above the shortstop position while there are available options, and despite his two week hot streak in August, Josh Wilson is not one of them.

I really didn’t detail his pitching ability that was previously showcased with both San Diego and Arizona. He wasn’t very good and as shaky as our bullpen is, he isn’t an option there either…