Reminiscing on 2011 draft
TORONTO — Right-hander Tyler Wilson is just a rookie, but he’s one of the most well-spoken players in the Orioles clubhouse. Win or lose, there isn’t a question Wilson is asked that doesn’t prompt a thoughtful response.
And despite allowing five runs in each of his past two starts, Wilson has held his own in the Orioles rotation. Manager Buck Showalter said it’s Wilson’s moxie that separates him, marveling at the way he dodges trouble and grinds through games.
With the annual Major League Baseball draft having just been completed, Wilson reminisced about being selected by the Orioles in the 10th round in 2011. Take us back to that day the Orioles took you in the 2011 draft. You had been drafted the year before in the 35th round and returned to Virginia for your senior year, so how was it when you heard year name called again?
No matter when your name gets called, draft day is kind of an inglorious process for everybody outside of those first 30 or 50 picks, so going into it with the mindset that it’s an opportunity to start your career is what makes it a great experience. I remember getting drafted and being really grateful for the opportunity, and I still am grateful for the opportunity. … Draft day is just the beginning of that, and it feels like a culmination so much because it’s such a step forward, but in reality, it’s just the starting point. …
That’s something I probably didn’t really understand at that moment. I thought that this is your opportunity to play pro ball, but it looks a lot different than what you build it up to be in your mind for so many years. It’s really a launching point into your career. Speaking of college, this past week, you caught a ceremonial first pitch from Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese. You certainly have to have a working knowledge of women’s hoops, especially since your wife, Chelsea, played at Virginia and is now a color analyst for ESPN and Raycom, correct?
That was really cool. I’m a huge college basketball fan, and obviously the connection I have with my wife playing college basketball, I’ve watched Brenda Frese for years and years. I’ve seen her on the court coaching against my wife for four years, and they obviously have an awesome program. I appreciate people who are really good at what they do in general, especially when it’s a sport like that that I enjoy watching and is so close to home with my family. Since we are on that topic, we have to ask you this. And it’s a probably a loaded question. Who is the better athlete between you and your wife?
She’s a great athlete and she worked really hard in college to achieve the things she did. … I think I probably have to give the edge to her just because [of ] some of her natural ability that she has.