Willie Wilson
From BR Bullpen
Willie James Wilson
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 195 lb.
- Debut September 4, 1976
- Final Game May 16, 1994
- Born July 9, 1955 in Montgomery, AL USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Willie Wilson played nineteen years in the major leagues, leading the American League in batting in 1982 and five separate times in triples. He was a speedster, ranking # 12 on the all-time list for stolen bases. Author Bill James developed a "speed score" which demonstrated that Wilson was the fastest player in Major League Baseball.
Among his notable achievements, 13 of his 41 home runs were inside the park home runs. His 21 triples in 1985 were the most in the major leagues since 1949. In 1980, he set the major league record with 705 at bats in a season, a record that still stands. He also had 230 hits, 133 runs, and 15 triples in 1980, leading the league. However, in that year's World Series, he struck out a record 12 times in six games, including for the last out of the Series.
In 2001, Wilson was a coach for the South Bend Silver Hawks
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2-time AL All-Star (1982 & 1983)
- AL Gold Glove Winner (1980)
- 2-time AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1980 & 1982)
- AL Batting Average Leader (1982)
- AL At Bats Leader (1980)
- AL Runs Scored Leader (1980)
- AL Hits Leader (1980)
- AL Singles Leader: 4 times (1979, 1980, 1981 & 1982)
- AL Triples Leader: 5 times (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 & 1988)
- AL Stolen Bases Leader (1979)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1979 & 1980)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1980)
- 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 4 (1979, 1980, 1983 & 1987)
- Won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 1985
[edit] Records Held
- Hits, switch hitter, season, 230, 1980 (tied)
- Singles, switch hitter, season, 184, 1980
