Phil Wilson

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #25 prospect in 2003
  For the second straight season, Wilson was forced to dig his way out of a hole after a horrific start. He made enough progress to earn a promotion to Double-A, but things went downhill from there. Wilson never showed his best stuff in 2002, and his season ended in August when he had arthroscopic elbow surgery. Maintaining and repeating his delivery has been the biggest issue for the gangly Wilson, who has sprouted four inches since he was a high school senior. He occasionally flies open in his delivery and leaves his arm lagging behind, which keeps his pitches up in the strike zone. He pitched mostly at 88-91 mph with sinking life last year and sank to 85 when he struggled. When he's on his game, he works in the low 90s. Wilson's command should improve as he learns to repeat his delivery, but for now control is an issue. He uncorked 18 wild pitches last year. Wilson's slurvy slider and changeup are decent offerings with average potential. He had a strained muscle in his right arm in high school, then shouldered a heavy workload during his first two years in the system. That may have contributed to his elbow soreness last season. To regain his prospect status, he has to stay healthy, improve his command and prove he can get Double-A hitters out.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #16 prospect in 2002
  On the heels of a successful debut in 2000, Wilson struggled to put together a run of consistent success last year in high Class A. Each time it looked like he was beginning to right himself, he followed with a disastrous start. Tall and lanky, he has grown four inches since the beginning of his senior year in high school, so he's still learning his body and developing consistent mechanics. His size creates a difficult downward plane for his pitches. Wilson's fastball runs in the low 90s with late life. He shows glimpses of being able to spin a tight slider and mixes in a fair changeup. He's intense and aggressive, and he isn't afraid to use the inner half of the plate. But his command is shaky, as his 15 hit batters and 19 wild pitches last year attest. The Angels are monitoring his delivery closely, and he started to make strides with his tempo in instructional league. A muscle strain in his right arm was discovered after he was drafted, but that hasn't hindered Wilson, who has averaged 168 innings in his first two seasons. In 2002, he's expected to be part of a prospect-studded Double-A rotation that also will include Bobby Jenks, Chris Bootcheck and Derrick Turnbow.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #6 prospect in 2001
  Shortly after the Angels drafted Wilson, he mentioned he had a lingering arm injury from his final high school game. It turned out to be just a muscle strain, but Anaheim didn't have him pitch after signing him for $525,000. In his first pro season, he reached high Class A and excelled there. Notice a pattern? Wilson is the fourth tall, projectable pitcher on this list, and there's another behind him. He can reach 92-93 mph with his fastball, which also has plus life. He's reminiscent of former Angel Mike Witt, with a better changeup and a lesser curveball. Wilson keeps the ball down in the zone and has a strong mound presence. His biggest need is to improve his curve. He has the potential to add another 2-3 mph to his fastball, and he can refine his command. As with John Lackey, the Angels should be more careful with Wilson, who threw 170 innings as a 19-year-old. Wilson could use a few more starts in the Cal League, where he could be part of an impressive Rancho Cucamonga rotation. He's two or three years away from being ready for Anaheim.