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Pirates Select Wilson in 16th Round of MLB Draft
6/5/2019 12:27:00 PM | Baseball
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Minnesota Baseball catcher Eli Wilson in the 16th round of the 2019 MLB Draft with the no. 484 overall pick on Wednesday. His hometown Seattle Mariners previously selected the second-generation Gopher prior to his arrival on campus in the 37th round of the 2016 Draft.
An infielder at Garfield (Wash.) High School, Wilson opted to play for his father Dan Wilson's alma mater rather than sign with the Major League team that the elder Wilson most prominently played for before taking after him once again by moving to the catcher position. Wilson grew into a middle-of-the-order presence while in Maroon & Gold, improving every season to eventually claim First Team All-Big Ten honors in his junior season of 2019.
For his career, Wilson has slashed .295/.391/.433 with 10 home runs, 24 doubles, 77 RBIs, and 67 runs scored in 132 games, including 108 starts. He played in 55 of Minnesota's 56 games in 2019, starting all but one of those. He finished second on the team with his 15 doubles and ranked among the team leaders in home runs, RBIs, and runs scored. His .294 batting average led the Gophers. The rising senior called pitches from behind the plate for the Minnesota pitching staff while providing a strong defensive presence, making just six errors in 431 chances and throwing out 10 would-be base stealers in 2019.
Dan Wilson was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 1990 draft with the seventh overall pick.
The MLB Draft continues Wednesday with several current, former, and future Gophers eligible to be selected.
An infielder at Garfield (Wash.) High School, Wilson opted to play for his father Dan Wilson's alma mater rather than sign with the Major League team that the elder Wilson most prominently played for before taking after him once again by moving to the catcher position. Wilson grew into a middle-of-the-order presence while in Maroon & Gold, improving every season to eventually claim First Team All-Big Ten honors in his junior season of 2019.
For his career, Wilson has slashed .295/.391/.433 with 10 home runs, 24 doubles, 77 RBIs, and 67 runs scored in 132 games, including 108 starts. He played in 55 of Minnesota's 56 games in 2019, starting all but one of those. He finished second on the team with his 15 doubles and ranked among the team leaders in home runs, RBIs, and runs scored. His .294 batting average led the Gophers. The rising senior called pitches from behind the plate for the Minnesota pitching staff while providing a strong defensive presence, making just six errors in 431 chances and throwing out 10 would-be base stealers in 2019.
Dan Wilson was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 1990 draft with the seventh overall pick.
The MLB Draft continues Wednesday with several current, former, and future Gophers eligible to be selected.
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