JUSTIN WILSON
8/18/87; '08 5th; Fresno State Univ.
L/L; 6-2, 210
| Level |
W-L-Sv |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
HR |
BB |
K |
BB/9 |
K/9 |
WHIP |
OAVG |
ERA |
| 2006 NCAA |
0-0-0 |
17 |
1 |
25.0 |
24 |
0 |
19 |
34 |
6.8 |
12.2 |
1.72 |
|
3.60 |
| 2007
NCAA |
9-5-0 |
25 |
19 |
101.2 |
103 |
3 |
58 |
105 |
5.1 |
9.3 |
1.58 |
.265 |
3.19 |
| 2008 NCAA |
7-4-0 |
19 |
15 |
99.1 |
99 |
8 |
53 |
83 |
5.0 |
7.7 |
1.60 |
.260 |
4.17 |
| 2009
A+ |
6-8-0 |
26 |
26 |
116.0 |
118 |
14 |
55 |
94 |
4.3 |
7.3 |
1.49 |
.262 |
4.50 |
Like Chase D'Arnaud, Baseball America did not have Wilson in its top 200 draft prospects, but characterized him as a likely 6th to 10th round pick. He throws an average fastball that is sometimes over 90 and has enough life that Wilson doesn't always control it well. He also throws a curve and a slider. It's obvious that he's had control problems, although he also had very good K numbers in his sophomore year. He may have a little more of a ceiling than the typical college pitcher if he can improve his command. At the time of the draft he seemed likely to sign quickly, but after he won considerable notoriety as a hero in the College World Series, his demands went up substantially. The Pirates weren't able to sign him until two days before the August 15 deadline, for slot money, surprisingly.
Given the delay, Wilson didn't appear in
any minor league games until 2009. The Pirates sent him straight to Lynchburg in another indication that current management is much more aggressive with prospects than their predecessors. The move appeared to backfire when Wilson struggled, posting an ERA of 6.58 combined for April through June. The primary problem was poor command, resulting in a lot of walks and HRs. Wilson turned things around the last two months, though, with an ERA of 2.61. The turnaround included one 11-strikeout performance over seven shutout innings. He also pitched well in two playoff starts. Command remained an issue, though, as he sometimes struggled with high pitch counts and too many walks. Wilson's pitches have a lot of movement and he changes speeds well, with his fastball alone ranging from 87 to 93. If he doesn't improve his pitch location, he could have problems against upper level hitters who don't chase as many pitches out of the strike zone. He has the ability, though, to be a very tough pitcher to hit. He should be in the Altoona rotation to open 2010.
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