Vance Allen Wilson (born March 17, 1973) 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 ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He is the third base coach for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

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). He played all or parts of eight seasons in MLB. Listed at 5'11" tall and 215 pounds, he batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

during his career.

Early career

Wilson was a high school standout at Red Mountain High School in Arizona, and continued his hometown success at

Mesa Community College Mesa Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the United States in ter ...

, where he was tagged as a Junior College All-American in 1994. The

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

selected Wilson in the 44th round of the

1993 Major League Baseball Draft The 1993 Major League Baseball draft began with first round selections on June 3, 1993. Alex Rodriguez was selected first overall by the Seattle Mariners. Other notable draftees included Chris Carpenter, Torii Hunter, Jason Varitek, Scott Rolen, ...

, and the catcher signed with the team the following summer after finishing his college career. After five arduous and injury riddled seasons in the Mets minor-league system, Wilson made his major-league debut on April 24, 1999, as a defensive replacement against 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 ...

. Wilson's immediate tenure in New York was short-lived however, and he began the 2000 and 2001 seasons with Triple-A

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

New York Mets

Wilson finally began to play regularly with the Mets in late 2001, assuming the role of back-up catcher behind perennial

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

All-Star

Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball tea ...

. Used as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

and occasional spot-starter, Wilson's greatest value to the Mets was as a defensive replacement who could prevent runners from

stealing bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

(something Piazza struggled with). From 2001-04, Wilson ranked amongst the top three National League catchers for lowest opposing stolen base percentage. The reserve catcher appeared in a career-high 96 games for the Mets in 2003, notching career-highs of 8

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 39 RBI. However, Wilson was hampered by injuries towards the end of the 2004 season, and the Mets dealt him to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

on January 5, 2005, for second baseman

Anderson Hernández Anderson Hernández Mejia (born October 30, 1982) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians, and Houston Astros as well as for ...

Detroit Tigers

In Detroit, Wilson once again found himself behind another perennial All-Star, this time backing up

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida ...

. During the latter half of 2005, Wilson had a short starting stint, calling 22 games for the Tigers with Rodríguez on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

and ineligible list. He started 2006 on the bench as the Tigers began the race for the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

crown. During the summer, he signed a two-year extension with the Tigers. In 2007, he tore a muscle in his right

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is most often used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anat ...

during the last week of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

and was expected to be on the disabled list for the first half of the season. He reinjured his arm in early June during a rehab assignment."Wilson suffers major setback"
Jason Beck, ''MLB.com'', June 8, 2007. Retrieved on December 3, 2008. It required

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

, ending his season. Minor leaguer

Mike Rabelo Michael Gregory Rabelo (born January 17, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played with the Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins from 2006 to 2008. He is currently the Third Base Coach and Major League Field Coordinator for the Pi ...

replaced Wilson as the back-up catcher. Wilson was expected to be ready for the 2008 season. However, Wilson suffered yet another injury during his rehabilitation during the winter months. He suffered from

Plantar fasciitis Plantar fasciitis or plantar heel pain (PHP) is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue which supports the arch of the foot. It results in pain in the heel and bottom of the foot that is usually most severe with the f ...

, which is an inflammation in the ligament that connects the heel bone to the toes.Wilson's injury hindering arm rehab
''MLB.com'', April 29, 2008, Retrieved on December 3, 2008. After Rodriguez was traded to the

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

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

Brandon Inge Charles Brandon Inge ( ; born May 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and catcher and currently a volunteer assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team. He played 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, o ...

took over as the team's starting catcher in Wilson's absence. Rabelo was traded to 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 franc ...

, leaving the backup catching duties to

Dane Sardinha Dane Kealoha A. A. Sardinha (born April 8, 1979) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies between 2003 and 2011. Amateur career A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, ...

. Wilson filed for

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on October 31, 2008.Rehabbing Wilson files for free agency
''MLB.com'', October 31, 2008, Retrieved on December 3, 2008.

Kansas City Royals

On January 7, 2009, Wilson signed a minor-league contract with the

. On April 1, 2010, Wilson opted out of his minor-league deal with the Royals and chose to retire.

Coaching career

On October 29, 2010, Wilson was named the 13th manager of the

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 their ho ...

, the Kansas City Royals' Class A

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 ...

affiliate. In 2011, Wilson's

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season as manager, Wilson piloted the Cougars to a 37-33 overall record and third-place finish in the division, which qualified the Cougars for participation in Midwest League's

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. Before the 2012 season, Wilson was named manager of the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. On November 1, 2013 the Royals promoted Wilson to manager of the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...

(Texas). Wilson was the Royals bullpen coach in 2018 and 2019. He became the Royals third base coach prior to the 2020 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Vance 1973 births Living people Sportspeople from Mesa, Arizona Baseball coaches from Arizona Baseball players from Arizona Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches New York Mets players Detroit Tigers players Kansas City Royals coaches Minor league baseball managers Mesa Thunderbirds baseball players Pittsfield Mets players Capital City Bombers players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Gulf Coast Mets players Norfolk Tides players Toledo Mud Hens players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players American expatriate baseball players in Australia