Jack Wilson

Wilson is a walking DL report. He played in only 61 games last season in yet another injury-shortened season thanks to thumb, hamstring and hand injuries. Wilson's glove still shines at shortstop, but his bat still only offers empty at-bats. Wilson is in the last year of his contract and won't be back with the Mariners next season. If/when he gets injured this season, Brendan Ryan will take his place at shortstop and will probably captain the position in 2012 until, if all goes according to plan, prospect Nick Franklin arrives the following year.

Wilson hit just .224 in 31 games last year with the Mariners after he was traded by Pittsburgh at the deadline, though injuries, which eventually ended his season, contributed to his problems at the plate. The Mariners, however, are willing to risk empty at-bats because of his top-notch glove at shortstop, especially considering what they endured before Wilson arrived. The Mariners went from the worst shortstop in the majors in Yuniesky Betancourt (UZR -20.5) to the best in Wilson (UZR 14.0). (And Betancourt is a worse hitter.) Wilson won't do much for a fantasy team, but Mariners pitchers will love him.

Wilson, who battled shoulder and calf injuries in 2008, hasn't played in more than 142 games in any of the last three seasons -- he saw action in 87 games last year. His value lies more in his defensive ability than what he can do at the plate, though he has been known to throw in a decent offensive season occasionally. In 2004, he batted .308 with 201 hits and even had a stretch where he led the majors with a .400-plus batting average from Aug. 1 until the end of that season. Still, there's a reason why manager John Russell sometimes placed Wilson ninth in the batting order last year, and you're likely looking at empty at-bats regardless of whether he remains with the Pirates.

Wilson turned back the clock last year, hitting like he did back in 2004 when the lifetime .269 hitter batted .308 while collected 201 hits. From the beginning of August until the end of the season, Wilson went 54-for-132, good for a .409 batting average. He also hit eight of his career-high 12 homers during that span. For the year, Wilson hit .296. It's hard to predict an encore performance for him in 2008, because his late season run was partially based upon an anticipated trade to the pennant-contending Detroit Tigers that never materialized. With seven seasons in the books for the Pirates, Wilson is the longest tenured player in Pittsburgh. Should the team find a taker for his $6 million-plus salary, he could feed off of the energy of playing for a new team and once again overachieve.

Wilson added 15 pounds of muscle following the 2005 season and all it really did was make him more injury prone. He's an above-average defender with middling offensive ability. In 2006 he hit .273 with eight homers and just 35 RBI in 543 at-bats. With his offensive upside limited, there's not much incentive to spend a fantasy pick on him. He did hit .308 with 201 hits in 2004 but that was three seasons ago. A trade could possibly re-energize Wilson's career. He was rumored to be on the move last season but nothing came of it.

Wilson fell back to earth last year, hitting .257 with eight homers, 52 RBI and seven steals in 158 games. Fresh from signing a two-year, $8 million deal in the offseason, Wilson went out and hit .136 in April. He blamed a rushed recovery from emergency appendectomy for his poor start, but even so, it was unlikely he could duplicate his 201-hit, .308 batting average performance of 2004. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, his true value lies with his defense. He led all major-league shortstops with 126 double plays and 783 fielding chances. Wilson ended the 2005 campaign on a roll, hitting at a .337 clip (31-for-92) over the course of his final 24 games.

Wilson, who went into the 2004 season with .246 lifetime average, likley wasn’t a hot commodity in your drafts and auctions. There was little hint of the significant leap that he would make last season, when he hit .308 with 201 hits and 41 doubles and was selected to the National League All-Star team. Manager Lloyd McClendon thinks Wilson has a chance to hit 20 homers at some point and 15 homers and a 70 RBI wouldn’t shock us, but don’t bet the house on the shortstop topping .300 again. As long as you don’t overpay for his career numbers, Wilson should provide solid value again in 2005.

Wilson established career highs last year with 143 hits, nine home runs and 62 RBI, but he needs to improve his plate discipline (36 walks), and his batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS leave something to be desired. His glove is solid enough (.975 fielding percentage) to keep him in the lineup every day and that alone makes him a useable player in NL-only leagues.

Wilson improved considerably at the plate in his second year and since his glove will keep him in the lineup, he’s not a bad shortstop option in deep leagues. He hammered lefties last year (928 OPS) and has some similarities to Mike Bordick, who became a good hitter at 26.