William Alexander Wilson (born November 3, 1986) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers.

Early life

Wilson was born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where his father, Jim Wilson, worked as a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

for

Aramco Saudi Aramco ( ar, أرامكو السعودية '), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company) or simply Aramco, is a Saudi Arabian public petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran. , it is one of ...

. Jim played college football in the NAIA at

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participate in the H ...

before being cut by the Cincinnati Bengals, declining an offer from the Green Bay Packers and returning to graduate school. The family moved to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

when Wilson was two years old and then moved to Kingsport, Tennessee, where Wilson spent the majority of his youth. Wilson grew up as a

fan.

Career

College and Minor Leagues

Wilson attended Hurricane High School in

Hurricane, West Virginia Hurricane is a city in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 6,977 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area. History Hurricane was named after Hurricane Creek, which was, in turn, ...

, then attended

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...

. ''

Collegiate Baseball ''Collegiate Baseball Newspaper'' (also known as ''Collegiate Baseball Magazine'' and ''Collegiate Baseball'') is an American publication based in Arizona that considers itself the "voice of amateur baseball" which has been published for over 40 ...

'' named him the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2006. After the 2007 and 2008 seasons, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie Alle ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In the summer of 2007, he had Tommy John surgery. He transferred to

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in January 2008. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th Round of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first ro ...

, but did not sign. He was drafted by the

in the 2nd Round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. In November 2012, Wilson was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Boston Red Sox

On March 16, 2013, Wilson was optioned to the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

to begin the season. He was called up to the Red Sox on April 7 when

John Lackey John Derran Lackey (born October 23, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 through 2017 for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and ...

went on the disabled list, and made his Major League debut on April 11. He was optioned to Pawtucket on May 29, and recalled on June 13 when Alfredo Aceves was optioned to Pawtucket. Wilson pitched in the Major Leagues for parts of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He threw innings for the Red Sox in 2013 and posted a 4.88 ERA. He performed much better in his Major League innings in 2014, recording a 1.91 ERA. Alex Wilson on September 19, 2014

Detroit Tigers

On December 11, 2014, the Red Sox traded Wilson along with

Gabe Speier Gabe may refer to: *A diminutive for Gabriel **Gabe Carimi, All American and NFL football left tackle ** Gabe Cramer, American baseball pitcher ** Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian ** Gabe Kapler, American major league baseball outfielder and ...

and

Yoenis Céspedes Yoenis Céspedes Milanés (born October 18, 1985), nicknamed "La Potencia" (The Power), is a Cuban-born professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on March 28, 2012, for the Oakland Athletics, and has also p ...

to the Detroit Tigers for

Rick Porcello Frederick Alfred Porcello III (born December 27, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets. Selected by the Tigers in the 2007 MLB ...

. On May 27, 2015, Alex Wilson made his first career major league start for the Detroit Tigers, against the Oakland Athletics, throwing 52 pitches in 3 scoreless innings. Detroit went on to win 3–2. On July 30, 2015, Wilson earned his first major league save, getting the final five outs in a 9–8 Tigers win over the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. For the season, he pitched 70 innings (including a team-high 67 in relief), with 16 games finished, 2 saves, a 2.19 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. During the 2016 season, Wilson set career highs with 62 appearances and 73 innings, while posting a 4–0 record with a 2.96 ERA, with 49 strikeouts and 21 walks. On January 13, 2017, the Tigers avoided arbitration with Wilson, agreeing on a one-year, $1.175 million contract. On August 25, Wilson was ejected for the first time in his Major League career after hitting

Todd Frazier Todd Brian Frazier (born February 12, 1986), nicknamed "The Toddfather", is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Texas Rang ...

with a pitch. This followed after

Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-t ...

and Austin Romine were ejected for triggering a

bench-clearing brawl A bench-clearing brawl is a form of fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, in which most or all players on both teams leave their dugouts, bullpens, or benches, and charge onto the playing area in order to fight on ...

and after

Dellin Betances Dellin Betances (; born March 23, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and New York Mets from 2011 to 2021. Betances was named an MLB All-Star from 2014 to 2 ...

was also ejected for the first time in his Major League career after hitting James McCann with a pitch. The next day, August 25, Wilson was suspended for four games. He appealed, and had the suspension reduced to three games, which he sat out beginning on September 2. On September 23, 2017, Wilson sustained a non-displaced fractured right fibula after he was hit by a line drive off the bat of

Joe Mauer Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman, who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. A six-time All-Star, Mauer is the only c ...

, ending his season. During the 2017 season, Wilson posted a 2–5 record, 4.35 ERA, and 42 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. On January 17, 2018, the Tigers avoided arbitration with Wilson, agreeing on a one-year, $1.925 million contract. In a game on May 7, 2018, Wilson hurt his foot covering first base, and was later diagnosed with a plantar fascia strain. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day. He returned to action for the Tigers on June 7. For the 2018 season, Wilson pitched innings, posting a 3.36 ERA and 43 strikeouts. On November 30, 2018, the Tigers non-tendered Wilson and he elected free agency.

Milwaukee Brewers

Wilson signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

on February 9, 2019. The deal included an invitation to the Indians' major league spring training camp. He opted out of his contract with the Indians on March 21, 2019 after being informed he would not make the opening day major league roster. Wilson signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on March 24. He was designated for assignment on April 29, 2019 and outrighted on May 1. He was released by the organization on August 3, 2019.

Chicago Cubs

On August 5, 2019, Wilson signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Return to Detroit

On January 4, 2020, Wilson signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers with an invitation to spring training. On June 25, 2020, the Tigers released Wilson. Wilson announced his retirement from professional baseball on July 28, 2020, and joined the Ballengee Group as an advisor.

Pitch selection

Wilson throws three primary pitches. He has a four-seam

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

that averages 92 mph (tops out at 97 mph), a two-seam fastball at 88-92 mph (tops out at 96 mph), and a slider in the 86-89 mph range (tops out at 91 mph). The two-seam fastball is used as both a cutter and a sinker. He throws the cutter more than any other pitch. Wilson also throws an occasional curveball and

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

Personal life

Wilson is the second Saudi-born player in MLB history, after Craig Stansberry. Wilson and his wife Kristin have three daughters and one son.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Alex 1986 births Living people American expatriates in Saudi Arabia Baseball players from West Virginia Boston Red Sox players Detroit Tigers players Falmouth Commodores players Iowa Cubs players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Saudi Arabia Milwaukee Brewers players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Dhahran People from Hurricane, West Virginia Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players San Antonio Missions players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players Toledo Mud Hens players Winthrop Eagles baseball players 2017 World Baseball Classic players