Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Justin Wilson turning into unsung hero
By Matt Shetler
There have been many reasons why the Pittsburgh Pirates are off to their best start in a very long time.
The pitching has been great and the offense has been better after a slow start. But if you are looking for an unsung hero for the Pirates’ extraordinary start, look no further than lefthanded reliever Justin Wilson.
Apr 28, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Justin Wilson (37) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis 9-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Wilson was a product of Neal Huntington’s very first draft, selected in the fifth round out of Fresno State in 2008. He also lends some hope that Huntington’s strategy of stockpiling power arms is one day going to pay off in a very big way.
Not every pitcher Huntington drafted is going to pan out and that’s something the organization knows all too well. But if more arms find their way to Pittsburgh such as Wilson has, the future is going to be very bright.
As far as the Pirates success, some of it can be contributed to the fact that they win when Wilson gets the ball.
On the season he has thrown 31 innings (before Thursday’s game) and has turned in a stellar 1.45 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, but his numbers get even more impressive when you look a little deeper.
The Bucs are 15-3 when Wilson pitches, including going 13-1 during his last 14 appearance.
During that span he has thrown over an inning per outing and has allowed a mere three earned runs. In addition, his power arm is finding the strike zone more often than advertised, as he has fanned 23 hitters opposed to only eight walks in the past 14 games.
The Pirates bullpen has been a great strength of the team this season and Wilson has been a part of that. The only concern is him potentially wearing down.
However if Wilson can keep up this pace, the Pirates are in store for big things from him the rest of the season.