Wilson Grateful For Seasons in Pittsburgh

Former MLB shortstop Jack Wilson is one happy fella.

When I met Wilson for the first time this past March while he was making an appearance on behalf of the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park, the 12-year MLB veteran became an instant favorite of mine.

Wilson proved to be a perfect representative of the Pirates’ organization and the game. As part of the Sunday alumni program, Wilson’s appearance was one of the most popular offered. Fans lined up for an autograph and to take selfies with the 2004 National League All-Star.

Pirates fans remember his nine seasons with the organization well. He collected a Silver Slugger Award the same season he was Pittsburgh’s lone representative at the All-Star Game in Houston.

During his scheduled meet and greet with the fans, Wilson genuinely seemed to be having as much fun interacting with the Pirates’ faithful as they were with him. Playing for Pirates’ teams from 2001-2009 that never finished higher than fourth place in the National League Central, and then being traded to the Seattle Mariners in late July of 2009, Wilson doesn’t hesitate when saying his years in Pittsburgh were his favorite.

“I miss the whole thing about my time in a Pirates’ uniform,” says Wilson. “When I look back on my career, it seemed to go by so quickly. Looking around here (LECOM Park), I see so many new things that weren’t here when I spent nine spring trainings here.”

When not reminiscing about his springs in Bradenton and being originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and then traded to the Pirates in 2000, Wilson enjoys keeping everyone around him updated on his son Jacob Wilson.

Wilson,22, was the top draft pick of the Oakland A’s in 2023 (sixth overall). In a year’s time, the younger Wilson rose rapidly up the A’s minor league ladder, passing through the Midwest League, then to Double-A, and 19 games with Triple-A Las Vegas before getting the call to the A’s on July 19th of this season.

Jack and his wife, Julie Wilson, were at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for their son’s MLB debut in a game with the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Jacob singled during his first at-bat. While scoring on a Lawrence Butler triple, Wilson came up limping. An MRI revealed a hamstring strain. The rookie has yet to return to Oakland’s lineup.

Be it interacting with Pirates fans or talking with pride about his son Jacob’s baseball success, Wilson does so with a smile. The former shortstop clearly didn't take anything for granted when it came to being an MLB player. Since his playing days are over, he has kept busy in various coaching roles.

“I keep in touch with some of the players (Pirates),” Wilson said. “Nick Gonzales has a huge, successful future ahead of him. I try and pass along life experiences and words of encouragement with a simple text.”

The former hitting/infield assistant coach at Grand Canyon University in Arizona still finds it special to put on a Pirates uniform at MLB-sponsored events. Take, for instance, the trip Wilson made in May 2015 to Cooperstown, New York.

Wilson represented the Pirates in the annual Baseball Hall of Fame Classic played at Doubleday Field. Playing for Team Wizards, managed by Ozzie Smith, the former Pittsburgh star singled and drew a walk in the seven-inning exhibition game. Smith’s lineup came away with a 7-5 win over Team Knuckies – skippered by 300-game winning pitcher Phil Niekro.

“Getting to put the jersey on again, that was exciting. I don’t get to do that often, so I trained a couple weeks ahead of time for that game. That was a really fun experience. I had my kids with me, and my in-laws came, too.”

For Wilson, staying part of the coaching aspect of baseball meant moving around from his home in California. His resume includes, besides time spent in Phoenix at Grand Canyon University, Wilson has worked with USA’s National Under-18 team, in 2021, serving as the hitting coach for the Mankato (Minnesota) Moondogs of the Northwoods League and, this summer, the Appalachian League is where he is instructing.

The Greenville (Tennessee)Flyboys are in a collegiate summer league with teams in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Wilson’s Flyboys won the western division in the second half of the season.

Finishing out his playing days with the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves, Wilson tells of feeling privileged to have had future hall of famers teammates:  Ken Griffey Jr. with the Mariners, and Chipper Jones in Atlanta.

With all his professional success and personal comfort, Wilson seems to a “regular guy” who can easily fit in with Pirates’ fans of all ages. Clearly, he’s not taken the lavishes of what MLB offers for granted. Jack Wilson is just a good fella spreading goodwill to all appreciating the goodness of baseball.