Dan Wilson
Full Name: Daniel Allen Wilson
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6-3 Weight: 202 lbs.
Born: Mar 25, 1969 in Barrington, Illinois
Major League Debut: September 7, 1992

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CAREER BATTING STATISTICS
 BATTING
YEAR TEAM AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K OBP SLG
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Cin
Cin
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
.360
.224
.216
.278
.285
.270
.252
.266
.235
.265
.295
12
36
91
119
138
146
96
123
90
123
115
25
76
282
399
491
508
325
414
268
377
359
2
6
24
40
51
66
39
46
31
44
35
9
17
61
111
140
137
82
110
63
100
106
1
3
14
22
24
31
17
23
12
20
16
0
0
2
3
0
1
1
2
0
1
1
0
0
3
9
18
15
9
7
5
10
6
3
8
27
51
83
74
44
38
27
42
44
3
9
10
33
32
39
24
29
22
20
18
8
16
57
63
88
72
56
83
51
69
81
.429
.302
.244
.336
.330
.326
.308
.315
.291
.305
.326
.400
.263
.312
.416
.444
.423
.394
.382
.336
.403
.396
Totals AVG
.266
G
1089
AB
3524
R
384
H
936
2B
183
3B
11
HR
82
RBI
441
BB
239
K
644
OBP
.314
SLG
.394

 BATTINGBASERUNNINGMISC
YEAR TEAM HBP GDP TB IBB SH SF SB CS SB% AB/HR AB/K
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Cin
Cin
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
0
0
1
2
3
5
5
2
0
2
2
2
2
11
12
15
12
6
10
8
6
8
10
20
88
166
218
215
128
158
90
152
142
0
4
0
1
2
1
0
4
0
0
1
0
2
8
5
9
8
8
10
11
8
7
0
1
2
1
5
3
6
2
2
1
8
0
0
1
2
1
7
2
5
1
3
1
0
0
2
1
2
2
1
0
2
2
0
-.---
-.---
.333
.667
.333
.778
.667
1.000
.333
.600
1.000
--.-
--.-
94.0
44.3
27.3
33.9
36.1
59.1
53.6
37.7
59.8
3.1
4.8
4.9
6.3
5.6
7.1
5.8
5.0
5.3
5.5
4.4
Totals HBP
22
GDP
92
TB
1387
IBB
13
SH
76
SF
31
SB
23
CS
12
SB%
.657
AB/HR
43.0
AB/K
5.5


CAREER FIELDING STATISTICS
YEAR TEAM POS G Ch PO A E DP PB FPCT
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
1999
2000
2000
2000
2001
2001
2002
Cin
Cin
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
Sea
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
1B
C
1B
3B
C
1B
C
C
9
35
91
119
135
144
94
5
121
1
1
88
2
122
112
46
156
656
952
896
1129
716
12
793
3
0
515
3
744
720
42
146
602
895
834
1051
677
10
743
3
0
480
3
711
691
4
9
45
52
58
72
35
2
46
0
0
30
0
32
27
0
1
9
5
4
6
4
0
4
0
0
5
0
1
2
0
2
6
5
5
13
6
1
7
0
0
5
0
1
4
0
1
4
8
5
1
5
0
3
0
0
6
0
3

1.000
0.994
0.986
0.995
0.996
0.995
0.994
1.000
0.995
1.000
-.---
0.990
1.000
0.999
0.997
Totals G
1079
Ch
7343
PO
6890
A
412
E
41
DP
55
PB
36
FPCT
0.994



As a young Reds fan growing up in Chicago, Wilson spent much of his elementary school years making sketches of catchers in his notebooks and worshipping Johnny Bench. While Wilson may not have developed the Hall of Fame skills his idol did, he did become an all-around backstop whose defense was rated among the best in the game for a time.

Though initially drafted by the New York Mets when he graduated high school, Wilson opted to spend some time at the University of Minnesota to study mechanical engineering. But by junior year, the only tools he was interested in were the tools of ignorance. Wilson entered the amateur draft in 1990 and was promptly selected in the first round by the Cincinnati Reds.

With the big-league club practically drooling over his fine defensive skills and patience at the plate, Wilson barely had to wait two seasons before his first call-up. But in a surprise move, just as he was primed to take over the full-time job for Cincy, the Reds shipped him with Bobby Ayala to the Seattle Mariners for Bret Boone and Erik Hanson in November 1993.

Replacing Dave Valle behind the plate in 1994, Wilson struggled offensively with the M's, hitting just .216, and ended up splitting time in 1995 with Chad Kreuter and Chris Widger. With the panic of his first full season behind him, Wilson's natural talents emerged, and he hit .278 with nine homers in '95, followed up by more playing time, 18 home runs, and an All-Star nod in '96. More conscious of pulling the ball the following year, Wilson got off to a fine start, hitting .349 in April 1997 before settling in with a .270 average over the season. His defense was once again the jewel of his crown, as he threw out 43 percent of basestealers and led the league in putouts at catcher. If there were any doubt of his position as the permanent Mariners catcher, it evaporated when both Widger and prospect Jason Varitek were traded away as Wilson went on to catch the fourth-most games in the bigs in '97.

Torn knee ligaments in 1998 sidelined Wilson for a month and a half, and his overall production plummeted. His offense would continue a steady slide for the next couple of years, intensified by the Mariners' move to the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field in 2000. In fact, Wilson's offensive play was so poor that year that manager Lou Piniella began to platoon him with Tom Lampkin until Seattle acquired veteran Joe Oliver to take over backstop duties. Though he was still a fine defensive catcher, despite losing a little arm speed, the only thing keeping Wilson secure was a three-year contract he had signed with Seattle before the season began.

In March 2001, with Oliver committed to the New York Yankees, Wilson burst out from the gates ready to hammer the ball and regain his spot in the lineup as well as his manager's confidence. "I had some mechanical problems," the catcher admitted, noting his 2000 slump. "After awhile, those turned into mental problems." Though he impressed enough to get his job back in spring training, Wilson experienced just a slight production increase and began to share time with Lampkin behind the plate once again.


Biography

A superb defensive catcher, Dan has the privilege of working with one of baseball's best pitching staffs. He has good mobility behind the plate and is excellent at blocking balls in the dirt. Dan knows his pitchers' strengths and weaknesses and has a quick release when it comes to nailing basestealers. After getting off to a slow start with the bat in 2001, he turned things around over the summer and finished with respectable totals in home runs (10), RBI (42) and batting average (.265). It was quite an improvement over the numbers he posted in 2000 (5 homers, 27 RBI and .235).

Dan has a great admirer in Seattle Manager Lou Piniella, who was piloting the Cincinnati Reds when Dan began his major-league career there in 1992. He was traded to the Mariners after the 1993 season, Piniella's first at the helm of the Mariners. Dan had his best offensive year in 1996 when he posted career highs in home runs (18), RBI (83) and batting average (.285). He grew up in the Chicago area and played on a team that advanced to the 1981 Little League World Series before eventually losing to a Tampa, Fla., club led by Gary Sheffield. In addition to baseball, Tom also excelled at football (quarterback) and hockey (goalie) at Barrington (Ill.) High School. He went on to attend the University of Minnesota where he majored in mechanical engineering.

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