Preston Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Preston Wilson |
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Wilson with the Cardinals in 2007
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| Center fielder | ||||||||||||||
| Born: July 19, 1974 Bamberg, South Carolina, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| May 7, 1998, for the New York Mets | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| May 5, 2007, for the St. Louis Cardinals | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .264 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 189 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 668 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Preston James Richard Wilson was born on July 19, 1974. He is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a center fielder for ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned from 1998 to 2007.
Preston played for several teams, including the New York Mets, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, and St. Louis Cardinals. He is also the nephew and stepson of Mookie Wilson, another famous former New York Mets outfielder.
Contents
Preston Wilson's Baseball Journey
Starting with the New York Mets
Preston Wilson was a talented young player. At just 17 years old, the Mets picked him in the first round of the 1992 MLB draft. This was right after he finished high school in Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School. Baseball America magazine even named him the High School Player of the Year in 1992.
Experts often listed Preston as one of the top 100 young players in baseball. He was known for being an "aggressive hitter." This meant he often swung at the first pitch he saw. He also struck out a lot, but he hit many home runs too!
Preston spent five years playing in the minor leagues. He even played in the Australian Baseball League for a season. Finally, in May 1998, he made it to the big leagues with the Mets. Just two weeks later, he was traded to the Florida Marlins. This trade was part of a big deal that sent Mike Piazza to the Mets.
Time with the Florida Marlins
In 1999, Preston became the main center fielder for the Florida Marlins. He had a great first year! As a rookie, he led his team in home runs and runs batted in (RBIs). RBIs are when a player hits the ball and helps a teammate score a run. He finished second in the voting for the National League Rookie of the Year.
The next year, in 2000, Preston joined the special 30–30 club. This means he hit 30 or more home runs (he hit 31) and stole 30 or more bases (he stole 36) in the same season. He also had 121 RBIs, which was one of the best totals in the National League. He was known for swinging hard, and he almost set a new record for the most strikeouts in a season, with 187.
Preston continued to hit well in the next two seasons, with 23 home runs each year. However, he missed some games due to injuries.
Playing for the Colorado Rockies
After the 2002 season, Preston was part of a big trade. He went to the Colorado Rockies with three other players. In return, the Marlins got Juan Pierre and Mike Hampton.
Preston had an amazing year in 2003 with the Rockies. He hit for a career-high batting average of .282. He also hit 43 doubles and 36 home runs. He led the entire National League with 141 RBIs! Because of his great performance, he was chosen for his first All-Star team.
In 2004, Preston had a knee injury. This meant he could only play in 58 games that season.
Moving to the Washington Nationals
In July 2005, Preston was traded again. This time, he went to the Washington Nationals. He quickly became a key player for them. In the second half of the season, he led the team in home runs and RBIs. He finished the year with 25 home runs and 90 RBIs.
With the Houston Astros
Before the 2006 season, Preston signed a one-year contract with the Houston Astros. He usually played center field, but the Astros already had Willy Taveras there. So, Preston moved to play left field.
On April 17, 2006, Preston had a tough game. He struck out five times, which tied an MLB record known as a "Golden Sombrero." This is a fun name for striking out four or more times in one game. Even with some early struggles, he was hitting well by the All-Star break. However, his power numbers were lower than in previous years. The Astros released him in August.
Joining the St. Louis Cardinals
Just a few days later, on August 18, 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals signed Preston. The Cardinals needed a new center fielder because Jim Edmonds was out with an injury. Preston immediately joined the starting lineup. He played right field and hit a home run in his very first game with the team!
The Cardinals went on to win the World Series that year! This gave Preston a World Series ring, just like his stepfather Mookie Wilson had won in 1986.
The Cardinals signed Preston again for the 2007 season. But he got another knee injury in May and missed the rest of the year. After the season, the Cardinals released him. He tried to come back in 2008 but didn't find a team.
On February 14, 2009, Preston Wilson announced he was retiring from Major League Baseball.
Playing for the Long Island Ducks
Even after retiring from MLB, Preston wasn't done with baseball yet! On March 21, 2009, he signed with the Long Island Ducks. This is an independent league team. He played for Gary Carter, who was a famous former New York Mets player and the Ducks' manager.
Preston played in 48 games for the Ducks. He hit .304 with 7 home runs and 37 RBIs. He didn't return for the 2010 season. He thought about trying to get back into the major leagues, but he never played professionally again.
After His Playing Career
After his baseball career, Preston Wilson became a baseball analyst. He worked for Fox Sports Florida, covering the Miami Marlins. He worked alongside other former Marlins players like Jeff Conine and Carl Pavano. He also worked as an analyst for MLB Network.
Later, starting in 2018, Preston worked for AT&T Sports Network. He was a field reporter covering the Houston Astros.
See also
- 30–30 club
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
