Joshua Aaron Wilson (born March 26, 1981) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

infielder. Wilson is a Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania native. He was part of the 1998 Pennsylvania state championship baseball team and Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Wilson 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

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers.

Career

Florida Marlins

Wilson was drafted by the

in third round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. Wilson passed up a scholarship to

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

to sign with the Marlins. He received a $400,000 signing bonus. Wilson began his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Marlins. Wilson batted .266 with 54 hits, 9 doubles, 4 triples, 27

RBIs 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 bat ...

, and 14 stolen bases in 53 games. On the team, Wilson was first in plate appearances (237), at-bats (203), hits; was tied for first in runs (29), triples; and was second in doubles, and RBIs. In 2000, Wilson split the season between the Class-A Short-Season

Utica Blue Sox The Utica Blue Sox was the name of two minor league baseball teams based in Utica, New York. In the 2010s, the ''Utica Blue Sox'' is the name of a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) based in ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

, and the Class-A

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. With the Blue Sox, Wilson batted .344 with 89 hits, 13 doubles, 6 triples, 3 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 9 stolen bases in 66 games. Wilson was second in the New York—Penn League in batting average, and was tied for second in hits. After his stint with the Blue Sox, Wilson was promoted to the Kane County Cougars. With the Cougars, he batted .269 with 14 hits, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, and 6 RBIs in 13 games. The next season, 2001, Wilson played for the Class-A Kane County Cougars. He batted .285 with 144 hits, 28 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 123 games. Wilson was second on the Cougars in doubles, and caught stealing (11); and was third in games played, plate appearances (546), at-bats (506), hits, doubles, and stolen bases. Wilson was called up to the Marlins in September 2005. He made his Major League debut on September 7 against the

, popping out as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. He did not record his first hit until the last game of the season, on October 2 against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

, when he doubled to left field in the bottom of the 10th off of Kyle Davies and then scored the winning run on a single by

Juan Pierre Juan D'Vaughn Pierre (born August 14, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000–2013 for the Colorado Rockies, Florida/Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Ch ...

Colorado Rockies

On January 6, 2006, he was traded to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later, but he missed the first part of the 2006 season after being placed on the 60-day disabled list with a broken toe. He played in 89 games that season with the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox, hitting .307, but did not get called up to the Majors.

Washington Nationals

Wilson signed as a free agent with the

on November 8, 2006. In 2007, he appeared in 15 games for the Nationals before they placed him on waivers.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

He was claimed by the

on May 10, 2007, and appeared in 90 games for them during the season. On June 8, 2007, Wilson pitched a scoreless 8th inning in a

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

pitching appearance against the Marlins in a 14–8 loss.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 3, 2007, he was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was assigned to the AAA Indianapolis Indians, where he hit .276 in 97 games.

Boston Red Sox

In August 2008, Wilson was acquired by 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 ...

and assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, the

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 ...

. Wilson's acquisition by the Sox completed a three team deal which sent

Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, L ...

to the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

from the Red Sox,

Jason Bay Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball left fielder. Bay played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Seattle Marin ...

to the Red Sox from the Pirates and infielder

Andy LaRoche Andrew Christian LaRoche (born September 13, 1983) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays. La ...

, and

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 ...

Bryan Morris Avery Bryan Morris (born March 28, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants. Early life Morris was born in Woodbury, T ...

from the Dodgers, and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Brandon Moss Brandon Douglas Moss (born September 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder / first baseman / designated hitter (DH). He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelp ...

and pitcher

Craig Hansen Craig Robert Hansen (born November 15, 1983) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates between 2005 and 2009. College career Hansen's collegiate career began at St. John's ...

from the Red Sox to the Pirates.

Arizona Diamondbacks

In December 2008, he signed with the

. While on the Diamondbacks he helped turn a triple play against the Dodgers and was once again used as a relief pitcher, throwing a 90 mph fastball.

San Diego Padres

Wilson was designated for assignment on May 14 by the Diamondbacks and was picked up by the

on waivers on May 15. On June 7, 2009, he pitched for the Padres against the Diamondbacks in the 18th inning of an extra inning game. He allowed a three-run, opposite field, game-winning home run to Mark Reynolds on an 88-MPH, cut fastball. He was the losing pitcher in a 9-6 Diamondbacks win. It was the second pitching appearance of the season for Wilson, who also pitched a scoreless 9th inning for the Diamondbacks against the Cincinnati Reds on May 11.

Seattle Mariners

On June 19, Wilson was claimed off waivers by the

. While with the Seattle Mariners, he was affectionately nicknamed "The Paperboy" by Ken Griffey Jr. With the Mariners in '09 he hit .250 with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 10 RBIs in 45 games giving him a combined average of .219 with 42 hits in 72 games between Arizona, San Diego and Seattle. Then on December 10, 2009, Wilson re-signed with the Mariners. On December 10, 2010, Wilson resigned with the Mariners to the tune of $725,000. On March 28, 2011, the Mariners released Wilson.

Second stint with the Diamondbacks

On March 31, 2011, Wilson reportedly agreed to a minor league contract to return to the Diamondbacks. Wilson had his contract purchased by Arizona on April 25. He was designated for assignment on May 23.

Milwaukee Brewers

Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers on May 25, 2011. In only his second appearance for the Brewers, Wilson hit a pinch hit home run. Only a week later he hit his 2nd home run, which was a go-ahead homer in extra innings against the Marlins. While with the Brewers, Wilson turned the second triple play of his career.

Atlanta Braves

Wilson signed a contract with the

on November 22, 2011 but suffered a setback injury during spring training and never made it to the big leagues with the club.

Third stint with the Diamondbacks

Wilson returned to the Diamondbacks for the third time in 2013 and made the big league roster out of spring training. He was designated for assignment on June 21, 2013.

Texas Rangers

Wilson signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on December 12, 2013. He was designated for assignment on May 8, 2014. Wilson elected free agency in October 2014.

Detroit Tigers

On January 12, 2015, the Detroit Tigers signed Wilson to a minor league contract. On June 2, Wilson was called up by the Detroit Tigers from Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. On June 20, Wilson made the fourth pitching appearance of his career against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, giving up a solo home run to Chris Young before pitching the rest of the eighth inning. He was designated for assignment by the Tigers on July 7, 2015. He was outrighted to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens on July 8. Wilson batted .252 with three home runs, 30 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases for the Mud Hens. He was called up by the Tigers on September 8, 2015, as a September call-up.

York Revolution

On April 8, 2016, Wilson signed with the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Wilson played in 120 games for the Revolution in 2016, posting a .255 batting average and 28 doubles.

Second stint with the Rangers

On April 18, 2017, Wilson was signed by the Texas Rangers to a minor league contract.

Cleveland Indians

On June 1, 2017, Wilson was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for cash considerations. Playing in 54 games for the Triple–A Columbus Clippers, Wilson batted .207/.291/.303 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Post playing career

On January 7, 2019, Wilson was named to the scouting staff for the Detroit Tigers.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Josh 1981 births Living people Major League Baseball infielders Sportspeople from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Florida Marlins players Washington Nationals players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Arizona Diamondbacks players San Diego Padres players Seattle Mariners players Milwaukee Brewers players Texas Rangers players Detroit Tigers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Kane County Cougars players Utica Blue Sox players Portland Sea Dogs players Jupiter Hammerheads players Carolina Mudcats players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Albuquerque Isotopes players Grand Canyon Rafters players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Pawtucket Red Sox players Reno Aces players Tacoma Rainiers players Gwinnett Braves players Round Rock Express players Toledo Mud Hens players York Revolution players Columbus Clippers players