William Donald Wilson (November 6, 1928 – July 1, 2017) was an American professional baseball

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

. Wilson appeared in 224 games 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), ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

and the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics in 1950 and from 1953 to 1955, primarily as a center fielder. He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as tall and . Wilson was born in

Central City, Nebraska Central City is a city and the county seat of Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census. History Early inhabitants The inhabitan ...

on November 6, 1928. His professional career began in 1947. Wilson was a power hitter in minor league baseball, hitting over 30 home runs for the Class B

Wenatchee Chiefs The Wenatchee Chiefs were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Wenatchee, Washington. Founded in 1937, the team was a part of the Class B Western International League through 1954, although the team did not oper ...

(1948) and the Double-A

Memphis Chickasaws Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memph ...

(1950; 1953). Wilson led the 1948

Western International League The Western International League was a mid- to higher-level minor league baseball circuit in the Pacific Northwest United States and western Canada that operated in 1922, 1937 to 1942 and 1946 to 1954. In 1955, the Western International Leagu ...

in home runs (33), and twice led the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

in that category with 36 (1950) and 34 (1953). He also led the 1950 Southern Association with 125

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

. Wilson hit 30 of his 32 big-league home runs for the Athletics after he was acquired from the White Sox on June 11, 1954. He hit the first home run in Kansas City's major league history with his solo shot off

Van Fletcher Alfred Vanoide Fletcher (August 6, 1924 – March 17, 2010) was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher appeared in nine games for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball in 1955. He stood tall and weighed . Ear ...

in the eighth inning on April 12, 1955, opening day at Municipal Stadium for the newly transplanted Athletics. Wilson

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.232 and .223 in 1954–55, his two full big-league seasons. His 145 major league hits included 23 doubles and one

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

, to go along with his 32 home runs. Wilson's career was confined to the minor leagues for the last six seasons. Wilson died in

Roseville, California Roseville is the most populous city in Placer County, California, located within the Sacramento metropolitan area. As of 2019, the US Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 141,500. Interstate 80 runs through Roseville and State Rout ...

on July 1, 2017, at the age of 88.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Bill 1928 births 2017 deaths Anaheim Valencias players Baseball players from Nebraska Birmingham Barons players Charleston Senators players Chicago White Sox players Kansas City Athletics players Major League Baseball outfielders Memphis Chickasaws players People from Central City, Nebraska Philadelphia Athletics players Phoenix Giants players Portland Beavers players Sacramento Solons players Tacoma Giants players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Wenatchee Chiefs players