Justin James Wilson (born August 18, 1987) is an American

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 ...

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 ...

who is a free agent. He has 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 Pittsburgh Pirates,

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 ...

, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs,

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 ...

and Cincinnati Reds. Prior to his professional career, Wilson played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

, where he was a member of the

2008 College World Series The 2008 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from May 30 through June 25, 2008 and was part of the 2008 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college baseball teams were selected out of an eligible 286 teams on May 26, ...

champions.

High school and college career

Wilson attended Buchanan High School in

Clovis, California Clovis is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The 2020 population was 120,124. Clovis is located northeast of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 361 feet (110 m). History The city of Clovis began as a freight stop along the ...

. Out of high school, 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 ...

drafted Wilson in the 37th round (1126th overall) of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, but he did not sign, opting to enroll at

Fresno State University California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...

, where he played

for the Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team. In his junior season, Wilson was named to the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

All-Tournament Team, as Fresno State won the

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

After his junior season at Fresno State, the Pirates drafted Wilson in the fifth round (144th overall) 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 ...

, and he signed with the Pirates. In 2009, he played for the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

. In 2010, he played for the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

. In 2011, he played for the Indianapolis Indians. The Pirates added him to their 40-man roster after the 2011 season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Justin Wilson-3

On April 29, 2012, pitching for the Indianapolis Indians against the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

, Wilson pitched the first innings of a combined no-hitter, finished off by Jumbo Diaz and Doug Slaten. “It was pretty awesome,” Wilson said after the game. “Great for Jumbo to come in and not give up a hit. And Doug as well. Great defense all around. Outstanding play to end the game, it was an awesome play. And then José Morales behind the plate was just outstanding tonight.” On leaving the game with a no-hitter, Wilson said: “It was tough, but you’ve got to trust your manager.”“He was making the call on what he thought, which was totally okay with me. Totally understandable. I respect him, and understand what he was doing.” With two outs in the ninth inning, Reid Brignac sent a slow rolling check swing to second base, then

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 ...

ranged in, bare handed the ball, and made the flip to first base to complete the no-hitter. On August 9, 2012, pitching for the Indianapolis Indians, Wilson pitched his second no-hitter of the 2012 season, an eight inning, complete game no-hitter against the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

(rain ended the game in the eighth inning). Wilson was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 20, 2012. Wilson made his major league debut the same day, pitching one scoreless inning, with three strikeouts. Wilson had a 6–1

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

with a 2.08

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) for the Pirates in 2013. He had a 3–4 record with a 4.20 ERA in 2014.

New York Yankees

On November 12, 2014, the Pirates traded Wilson to the

in exchange for Francisco Cervelli. During the 2015 season, Yankees'

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 ...

Joe Girardi Joseph Elliott Girardi (born October 14, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Girardi played the catcher position for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and S ...

used Wilson as his

setup pitcher In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. As ...

for the seventh inning, with

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 ...

and Andrew Miller pitching the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Wilson had a 3.10 ERA in 61 innings pitched in 2015.

Detroit Tigers

On December 9, 2015, the Yankees traded Wilson to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Chad Green and

Luis Cessa Luis Enrique Cessa (born April 25, 1992) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees. Professional career New York Mets Cessa signed with ...

. On January 13, 2016, the Tigers avoided arbitration with Wilson, agreeing on a one-year, $1.525 million contract. During the 2016 season, Wilson posted a 4–5 record, and a 4.14 ERA with 65 strikeouts in innings pitched. His strikeout rate of 10.0 per 9 innings was the highest of his career. On January 13, 2017, the Tigers avoided arbitration with Wilson, agreeing on a one-year, $2.7 million contract. Wilson began the 2017 season allowing no hits and no runs in his first 11 appearances (covering innings). The streak ended on April 29, when Melky Cabrera of 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 ...

led off the 10th inning with a home run off Wilson. On May 9, 2017, manager Brad Ausmus stated that Wilson would be the team's closer, after incumbent closer Francisco Rodríguez had blown his fourth save of the young season.

Chicago Cubs

On July 31, 2017, Wilson and catcher Alex Avila were traded to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielder

Jeimer Candelario Jeimer Candelario ( ; born November 24, 1993) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers. Early life Can ...

, shortstop Isaac Paredes, and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

or cash considerations. Wilson struggled with the Cubs, pitching to a 5.09 ERA and 2.09 WHIP in 23 games, while walking 19 batters in innings. His full 2017 season totals included a 4–4 record, 13 saves (all with Detroit), 3.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 80 strikeouts in 58 innings. On January 12, 2018, Wilson signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract to remain with the Cubs, avoiding arbitration. He became a free agent after the season.

New York Mets

On January 28, 2019, Wilson signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the

. Wilson made 45 appearances for the Mets in 2019, pitching to a 2.54 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 39.0 innings pitched. In the 60-game shortened 2020 season, Wilson appeared in 23 games for the club, pitching to a 3.66 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched.

Second stint with the Yankees

On February 23, 2021, Wilson signed a one-year contract with the

. In 21 appearances for the Yankees, Wilson had a 1–1 record with a 7.50 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 28, 2021, Wilson was traded to the Cincinnati Reds along with

in exchange for Jason Parker. On April 27, 2022, Wilson was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to April 24 with elbow soreness. On May 27, he was transferred to the 60-day IL and underwent Tommy John surgery on June 3 with a 14 to 16 month recovery time expected.

Pitching style

Wilson throws hard four-seam and

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

s that average 95–96 MPH (topping out at 99 MPH). He also throws a

cut fastball In baseball, a cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks toward the pitcher's glove-hand side, as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a four-seam fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slide ...

in the 90–94 MPH range. His primary offspeed pitch is a curveball that averages 83–87 MPH.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Justin 1987 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball players from Anaheim, California Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Detroit Tigers players Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players Indianapolis Indians players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball pitchers Mesa Solar Sox players New York Mets players New York Yankees players Pittsburgh Pirates players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Brooklyn Cyclones players Syracuse Mets players