Righthander Tommy Wilson Looks Forward To Fresh Start With Orioles

Righthander Tommy Wilson barely had time to process that the Mariners selected him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft before he was changing teams again.

Seattle sold the 25-year-old Wilson to the Orioles in a transaction that was arranged earlier in the day.

Wilson was the Mets’ 19th-round pick in 2018 out of Cal State Fullerton. He had a 2.35 ERA in 10 relief appearances in 2021 with Double-A Binghamton, striking out 18 batters in 15.1 innings. 

The Orioles arranged to acquire him after filling their 38-man Triple-A roster during the draft.

“It was wild, for sure,” Wilson said. “It’s definitely cool to get picked and to know that there’s organizations out there that value my talent and who I am as a player and a pitcher.”

Wilson also was grateful that he was healthy again. He didn’t make his first appearance of 2021 until June 24 and returned to the injured list in early September.

Wilson’s familiarity to analytics will increase with the Orioles, who can build on his understanding of the data that already made him more aware of his strengths and weaknesses.

“I didn’t really know much about spin rates and vertical break, all this stuff, until pro ball, and even now I’m still learning, as many of us are,” he said. “I’ve heard fantastic things about the Orioles organization in regard to analytics. I’m definitely curious to hear what they have to say about my stuff, my mechanics and whatnot.”

Wilson’s father is actor Thomas F. Wilson, who played high school bully Biff Tannen in the “Back to the Future” movies. The younger Wilson never wanted to act, preferring to step on a mound rather than into character.

“Any time I end up in a new place, whether it’s college or with the Orioles, everybody ends up finding out,” the 6-foot-4, 220-pound righthander said of his actor father. “It’s the same reaction everywhere I go.”

 

 

 

BIRD SEED

— The Orioles selected righthander Nolan Hoffman from the Mariners in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. The reliever has posted a 2.88 ERA in 67 career games (two starts). He has allowed two home runs and struck out 85 batters in 84.1 innings.

—The Orioles also selected righthander Cole Uvila from the Rangers. He made 96 relief appearances and registered a 3.18 ERA, with 203 strikeouts and seven home runs allowed in 150 innings.