Desi Bernard Wilson (born May 9, 1969) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He played part of one season 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

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

in 1996, primarily as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He also played one season in Japan with the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

in 1998. He is currently the hitting coach of the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

, an affiliate of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Amateur career

Desi Wilson played basketball and baseball for

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

Professional career

Wilson was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 1991 amateur draft. In 1994, he was traded to the Giants, along with

Rich Aurilia Richard Santo Aurilia (; born September 2, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played for several teams between 1995 and 2009. Amateur career Aurilia was born in Brooklyn, New York. Before being drafted by Texas, Aurilia was a ...

, for pitcher

John Burkett John David Burkett (born November 28, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He compiled 166 wins against 136 losses, 1,766 strikeouts, and a 4.31 earned run average. He pitched from 1987 to 2003, with the San Francisco Giant ...

. Wilson played part of one season on the 1996 Giants, with a .271 batting average over 41 games. He also played in Japan for the

in 1998. Wilson played in the affiliated minor leagues until 2002, then went on to play in the independent leagues until 2007. Overall, he hit .312 in his minor league career. In 2005, while playing for the

Surprise Fightin' Falcons The Surprise Fightin' Falcons are an inactive professional baseball team based in Surprise, Arizona. They played in the Arizona Division of the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball ''or'' ...

, Desi had a 30-game

hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 plate ...

and batted .411, setting a

Golden Baseball League The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico. The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the orga ...

record.

Post-playing career

In 2007, Wilson began the season as the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the

Anderson Joes The Anderson Joes were a minor league baseball club that existed in 2007. The team was based in Anderson, South Carolina and was named after outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson, who grew up in the local area. The team played as a member of the indepe ...

of the independent

South Coast League The South Coast League of Professional Baseball (SCL), based in Conyers, Georgia, was a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Southeastern United States. It operated in cities not served by Major or Minor League Basebal ...

. Midway through the season, he left the position of manager and was activated as a player. He was then traded to the

South Georgia Peanuts The South Georgia Peanuts were a short-lived minor league baseball team, based in Albany, Georgia in 2007. The team's home games were held at Paul Eames Sports Complex. History The Peanuts played in the South Coast League and won the league tit ...

where he served as a player-coach for the remainder of the season and was part of the club's SCL championship. He joined the Cubs organization in 2009 as a hitting coach, joining Daytona in 2012. He was promoted to the hitting coach of the Tennessee Smokies in 2013.

Personal life

Wilson is the father of basketball player D.J. Carton. They have not communicated since Carton was age three or four.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Desi 1969 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Japan American men's basketball players Anderson Joes players Baseball players from New York (state) Basketball players from New York (state) Butte Copper Kings players Charlotte Knights players Charlotte Rangers players Chico Outlaws players Gulf Coast Rangers players Fairleigh Dickinson Knights baseball players Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball players Hanshin Tigers players Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball first basemen Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers Pastora de los Llanos players Pastora de Occidente players Phoenix Firebirds players San Francisco Giants players Shreveport Captains players Sioux City Explorers players Sioux Falls Canaries players Somerset Patriots players South Georgia Peanuts players Sportspeople from Glen Cove, New York Surprise Fightin' Falcons players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tucson Sidewinders players Tulsa Drillers players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople Glen Cove High School alumni