| There were no such highlights for shortstop Jack Wilson. His sacrifice bunt led to a first-inning run, but he was hitless in three official at-bats. Still, there's no disputing Wilson has been a major and somewhat surprising contributor as the Pirates have won six of seven since the All-Star Game.His play, in fact, has been one of the most astonishing and heartening developments of the season. It's not just that Wilson has stamped himself as the team's shortstop for many years to come, but he has become a potent offensive force.Wilson brings the kind of glove to the game that should make the Pirates happy with a .240 batting average. Add about 100 points to that and you would have what Wilson's been hitting since he snapped a May slump that had some thinking he would be sent back to the minors. Counting last night, Wilson is batting .406 in the Pirates' past 18 games and .337 since May 23. The player who was hitting .191 in mid-May has his average up to .277."I didn't think at this stage he'd be this far along," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I thought he was capable of hitting .250 to .260 this year. He's approaching .280 to .290, which is great."Wilson's offensive contributions have been much more than just his batting average. He moved into the black hole that was the No. 2 spot in the lineup May 19 and has given life to the offense. Finally, someone was getting on base in front of Brian Giles. Wilson's on-base percentage since moving to the No. 2 spot has been about .370, which is excellent."I like the challenge of batting second," he said. "I'm more comfortable there because I like to do the little things like hit and run and bunt for a hit."Although he has little more than average to above-average speed, Wilson has 24 infield hits, with seven of those coming on bunts. |
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| Smizik: Wilson's role isn't coming up short Thursday, July 18, 2002 |
| Jack Wilson was given the night off and might be rested again tonight to allow him to relax and quit pressing. "I want to let Jack step back a little bit, take a breather. A day off or two should help him," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. Wilson was 1 for 3 Tuesday but has just two hits in his past 41 at-bats and his average has dipped to .189. What disappoints McClendon is how Wilson has let the slump get to him. "I'm concerned more with the way the young man's handling it. Struggling is part of this game. You have to be able to separate it," McClendon said. Wilson continues to take extra batting practice and watching tape of his at-bats. "Yeah, I'm a little sick of it. Anytime I hit the ball hard, it seems like it's right at somebody. It takes the air out of the balloon. I've never been this frustrated before in my life," he said. "I don't know what it is. Every at-bat, I try to take a good approach to the plate. But every day is different going to the plate because nothing seems to work. Everybody goes through it. You just have to come out of it somehow." |
| Jack Wilson, hitless in his previous 23 at bats, was not in the starting lineup last night against Curt Schilling. The slump came after he had hit in a career high 10 consecutive games. "It's frustrating. [Jason] Kendall went through a funk like this in the beginning. You just feel like there's 22 players out there -- 20 shortstops and a couple of center fielders. You just can't find a hole. It's no big deal. I'll battle through it. I don't even have 100 at bats yet. I'm not worried," Wilson said. "Jack's going to have his ups and downs," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's not overwhelmed. He's put the ball in play. He just hasn't found any holes." |
| Before the game last night, Wilson took early practice in search of a comfort zone. He even changed his uniform look, opting for pants that ended just below the knee and left plenty of black hosiery exposed."Slump busters," he called them.Wilson got his first hit in eight games, a run-scoring double just inside the third-base bag."I just wanted to have a good at-bat and get out of the funk," he said. "Everybody was making fun of me, asking me if I wanted the ball."As he did with Young, McClendon kept telling Wilson to focus on his next swing, not the ones in the past."He just needs to stay the course, focus on one at-bat at a time as if it's the one that puts the team over the top and get us a win," McClendon said. |
| Jack Wilson celebrated with a dinner Tuesday night after getting more hits in a doubleheader than he had in the first 20 days in May. "This whole month had not gone my way at all. I had a good day. It's been a long time coming," Wilson said. He was 5 for 8 with three runs scored. Before Tuesday's doubleheader, he had been 4 for 49 in May. A couple of plays went Wilson's way, such as a bunt that went for a hit when the catcher and pitcher collided. But he figured he was due after a couple of good defensive plays took away possible hits earlier in the month. |
| From the pittsburgh Post-gazette |
| Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon told everyone in Spring Training just how good rookie shortstop Jack Wilson was and maybe we just didn't believe. Count me in among the converted now. In addition to his outstanding work at the plate since returning from Triple-A Nashville on June 12 (.353, two homers, 13 RBIs and 11 runs), Wilson has been nothing short of spectacular in the field. So much so that his graceful, leaping turn of a double play at second base in the ninth Friday night barely put a blip on his radar screen. "I really didn't think much of it," said Wilson. "I didn't think it was the kind of play [to make highlights]. I just thought I kind of jumped. I didn't have too much on the throw and KY [first baseman Kevin Young] picked [the ball], so I thought that was pretty sweet." At first, you might write this off as false modesty. But as you begin to see Jack Wilson on a daily basis, you begin to understand how truly gifted he is with the glove. Wilson is already drawing comparisons to some of the top shortstops of the past 20 years. "[Pittsburgh hitting coach] Dave Clark the other day told me the other day he thought Jack was a lot like [former Detroit Tiger] Alan Trammell," said McClendon. "I originally thought he was more like [Orioles shortstop] Mike Bordick. I think this kid is going to get bigger and stronger and he might be another Alan Trammell. You never know. He certainly has the pop." Wilson has certainly not let his play or the comparisons go to his head and McClendon doesn't believe he ever will. "I think Jack is getting better every day," said the Pirates manager. "His confidence is building every day. He's learning and putting forth the effort. I don't think there's a worry because he is a levelheaded kid who just loves playing the game and plays with a passion. "I don't think there is any danger that [success] will ever change him and he'll get too big for his britches, so to speak." |
| Jack Wilson was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on July 30, 2000, for Jason Christiansen. Many fans asked, "Who is Jack Wilson?" If all goes well, they will know soon. The slick-fielding 23-year-old has a shot to start the season as the team's Opening Day shortstop. Wilson batted .282 with nine home runs and 57 RBI while splitting time between Potomac (A), Arkansas (AA) and Altoona (AA) last season. Because he has never played above Double-A, few could have expected that he would be in the mix for a starting spot, especially with veterans Pat Meares, Enrique Wilson, and Mike Benjamin already on the roster. For his part, the young man seems to be taking this opportunity in stride. "It feels good," said Wilson. "It's real exciting to be here. I never thought I would get as much playing time as I have. I'm having a real good time with it and learning a lot being with the big leaguers." He also seems to be a very modest fellow as he tries to make this team, which probably is a good attitude for a rookie. "Hopefully it will happen, and if it doesn't I'll go back to the minors and play as hard as I can to get back up here," said Wilson. "I pretty much keep my mouth shut and speak when spoken to. They (the veterans) help me out if I ask and if they see something (to improve on) they let me know." And if he does make the team, what should the fans at PNC Park expect when they see him play in person for the first time? "A kid out there giving 110%, trying his best, always diving for balls and trying to get to every ball I can possibly get to," said Wilson. "And just enjoying the game." |