Vance Wilson
| Vance Wilson | |||
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| Catcher | |||
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Born: March 17, 1973 Mesa, Arizona |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 24, 1999, for the New York Mets | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 28, 2006, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .250 | ||
| Home runs | 25 | ||
| Runs batted in | 129 | ||
| Teams | |||
Vance Allen Wilson (born March 17, 1973) is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a catcher. Listed at 5'11" tall and 215 pounds, he batted and threw right-handed during his career.
Wilson was a high school standout at Red Mountain High School in Arizona, and continued his hometown success at Mesa Community College, where he was tagged as a Junior College All-American in 1994.
The New York Mets selected Wilson in the 44th round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft, and the catcher signed with the team the following summer after finishing his college career.
After five arduous and injury riddled seasons in the Mets minor-league system, Wilson made his major-league debut on April 24, 1999, as a defensive replacement against the Chicago Cubs. Wilson's immediate tenure in New York was short-lived however, and he began the 2000 and 2001 seasons with Triple-A Norfolk.
Wilson finally began to play regularly with the Mets in late 2001, assuming the role of back-up catcher behind perennial National League All-Star Mike Piazza. Used as a pinch hitter and occasional spot-starter, Wilson's greatest value to the Mets was as a defensive replacement who could prevent runners from stealing bases (something Piazza struggled with). From 2001-04, Wilson ranked amongst the top three National League catchers for lowest opposing stolen base percentage.
The reserve catcher appeared in a career-high 96 games for the Mets in 2003, notching career-highs of 8 home runs and 39 RBI. However, Wilson was hampered by injuries towards the end of the 2004 season, and the Mets dealt him to the Detroit Tigers on January 5, 2005, for second baseman Anderson Hernández.
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