Mookie Wilson

William Hayward Wilson

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.
• School Spartanburg Methodist College, University of South Carolina
• High School Bamberg Ehrhardt High School
• Debut September 2, 1980
• Final Game October 6, 1991
• Born February 9, 1956 in Bamberg, SC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Mookie Wilson was a popular player who had 12 seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the New York Mets. Fans loved his unusual nickname, and used to yell "Moooooooo-kie". He had 327 stolen bases in the majors and played on the world champion 1986 New York Mets. He played for three other Division winners: the 1988 New York Mets and the 1989 and 1991 Toronto Blue Jays. According to the similarity scores method, the most similar player is his contemporary Terry Puhl.

Wilson was signed as a 2nd round pick in the 1977 amateur draft by the New York Mets and scout Wayne Britton.

He is the uncle and stepfather of Preston Wilson (Mookie's brother is Preston's father; Mookie married Preston's mother after Preston was born). He has two brothers who played minor league baseball: John Wilson was an outfielder in the Mets chain from 1982 to 1987, and Phil Wilson was an outfielder in the Minnesota Twins chain.

It may be apocryphal, but it is believed Mookie gained his nickname for his inability to say "milk" when he was a child.

After his playing career ended, Mookie Wilson returned to the New York Mets as the team's first base coach from 1996 to 2002. In 2003 and 2004, he was manager of the minor league Kingsport Mets, and in 2005, he became manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones. He was back with the Mets as a first base coach in 2011.

Mookie Wilson played high school baseball at Bamberg Ehrhardt High School in his hometown of Bamberg, SC for Coach David Horton. Mookie says his experience under Coach Horton is what made it possible to make the pros.

Notable Achievements

• 1981 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• NL At Bats Leader (1983)
• 50 Stolen Base Seasons: 2 (1982 & 1983)
• Won a World Series with the New York Mets in 1986

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
2003	Kingsport Mets	Appalachian League	25-39	8th	New York Mets
2004	Kingsport Mets	Appalachian League	32-36	6th	New York Mets
2005	Brooklyn Cyclones	New York-Penn League	40-36	6th	New York Mets

Further Reading

• Mookie Wilson and Eric Sherman: Mookie: Life, Baseball, and the '86 Mets, Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 2014. ISBN 978-0425271322

Related Sites

• Mookie Wilson at the SABR Bio Project