Alex Wilson
From BR Bullpen
William Alexander Wilson
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 215 lb.
- School Texas A&M University, Winthrop University
- High School Hurricane High School
- Born November 3, 1986 in Dhahran Saudi Arabia
Contents |
[edit] Biographical Information
Alex Wilson is a pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization.
[edit] Amateur Career
Born in Saudi Arabia, he was named the West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year in 2005. He was 13-3 with a 3.78 ERA as a college freshman, winning National Freshman Pitcher of the Year from Collegiate Baseball. He led the Big South Conference with 138 innings and tied Heath Rollins for the most wins and strikeouts (143). He and Rollins tied for 9th in NCAA Division I in whiffs and tied Andrew Miller, Dallas Buck, Barry Enright and others for third in the country in wins, one behind co-leaders Jake Arrieta and Lauren Gagnier. He joined Rollins and Brandon Hynick as the All-Conference hurlers; Rollins was Pitcher of the Year. Wilson had a 6-4, 2.51 record as a sophomore in 2007 and made All-Big South Conference, one of three pitchers chosen. He led the Conference in ERA but Bobby Gagg beat him out for Pitcher of the Year. That summer, he was atrocious for the Falmouth Commodores, going 0-1 with 9 hits, 5 walks and 7 runs in only 4 innings. He transferred to Texas A&M and was redshirted in 2008. The Chicago Cubs selected him with a 10th round choice in the 2008 amateur draft but he did not sign. Back with Falmouth for another summer, he improved to 0-1, 4.60 with 36 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings. He went 6-6 with a 4.22 ERA for Texas A&M in 2009, striking out 120 in 89 2/3 innings for the Aggies. He was All-Big 12 Conference Honorable Mention. He was 11 strikeouts behind Big 12 leader Kyle Gibson and was 14th in Division I in K, between Alex White and Deck McGuire. In 2009, Wilson was a second-round pick by the Boston Red Sox. He was the first pitcher they took that year, having gone with Reymond Fuentes in round one.
[edit] Professional Career
Wilson was signed by scout Jim Robinson and began his pro career with the Lowell Spinners in 2009. His record was 0-1 in 13 starts, but what really counted was an 0.50 ERA in 36 innings - the strict pitch counts under which he was working prevented him from recording any decisions. Baseball America rated him as the 9th-best prospect in the New York-Penn League (between Arquimedes Caminero and Kyle Lobstein) and as having the best slider in the entire Boston farm chain. He was put on the fast track to the majors in 2010, starting the year with the Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League and being promoted to the AA Portland Sea Dogs after only 11 starts. He was 2-1, 3.40 in 55 2/3 innings for Salem, then 4-5, 6.66 for Portland. He had a couple stints on the disabled list that year. Baseball America again said he had the best slider of any Red Sox minor leaguer.
He did a lot better when he repeated the AA level in 2011, as his record for the Sea Dogs was an excellent 9-4, 3.05 in 21 starts. In 112 innings, he struck out 99 batters and walked only 37. He was promoted to the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox at the end of the year, making 4 starts with a record of 1-0, 3.43. Between the two stops, he struck out 123 in 133 innings, giving indications that he would likely be pitching in Boston before the end of 2012.
