Josh Wilson

Joshua Aaron Wilson
(The Paperboy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 178 lb.
• High School Mt. Lebanon High School
• Debut September 7, 2005
• Final Game October 4, 2015
• Born March 26, 1981 in Pittsburgh, PA USA

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Biographical Information

After playing high school ball at Mt. Lebanon High School alongside future big leaguer Don Kelly, infielder Josh Wilson was selected by the Florida Marlins in the third round of the 1999 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Ty Brown and made his pro debut that summer with the GCL Marlins. With the Utica Blue Sox in 2000, he hit .344 with 3 home runs and 43 RBIs to earn a spot on the New York-Penn League All-Star team. In 2003, he made the the Southern League All-Star squad, hitting .253 with 3 homers and 58 RBI for the league champion Carolina Mudcats. He went on to play eleven games in the majors during a September call-up by the Marlins in 2005.

Prior to the 2006 campaign, Wilson was traded to the Colorado Rockies and spent the year with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, hitting .307 with 10 homers there. He was signed by the Washington Nationals in 2007 but hit just .053 in 15 games there. The Nats designated him for assignment in May, and he was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He remained on the Rays big league roster for the remainder of 2007 and hit .251 in 90 games for the club.

Following the 2007 season, Wilson was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates and spent the first half of the 2008 campaign with the Indianapolis Indians. He split 2009 between the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. After beginning 2010 with the AAA Tacoma Rainiers, Wilson was promoted to the big league Mariners once again.

Affable Mariner teammate Mike Sweeney nicknamed him "The Paperboy" in 2009 because of his youthful appearance.

He is the son of Mike Wilson, a longtime college coach. He has been used as a pitcher four times during his major league career, being charged with a loss for the Padres in 2009 in an extra-inning game in which his team ran out of regular pitchers. The other three appearances were in blow-out losses, and each came with a different team. In his fourth appearance, with the Detroit Tigers on June 20, 2015 against the New York Yankees, he did something exceedingly rare, as, having moved from second base to the mound, he got to bat after pitching the 8th inning and actually got a hit. That was one of the few occasions when a pitcher has managed a base hit in an American League park since the introduction of the designated hitter.

Related Sites

• Josh Wilson on mlb.com