Bobby Wilson

[William Malone]

Robert Luis Wilson was born on April 8, 1983 in Dunedin, Florida.

The Anaheim Angels drafted him in round 48 of the 2002 MLB Draft. He reached the Major League level in 2008, but only played sparingly as a third catcher. Wilson had just 13 big league plate appearances between the 2008 and 2009 seasons, going 2-for-11 (.182) with a walk and a sacrifice bunt. He began to get more regular playing time as a backup catcher in 2010, playing 172 games for the Angels over the next three seasons.

Wilson spent the next several years bouncing around on minor league deals, occasionally resurfacing at the Major League level. He played 133 big league games for four different teams between 2013 and 2017; the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers.

The Minnesota Twins signed Wilson to a minor league deal ahead of the 2018 campaign. He was called up in early May after starting catcher Jason Castro suffered a season ending knee injury. Wilson hit .178 with two home runs and 16 RBI across 47 games for the Twins, primarily backing up Mitch Garver. Despite his offensive struggles, he was able to manage the pitching staff quite well. Minnesota had a 4.12 ERA with Wilson behind the plate, compared to a 4.63 clip with any other catcher. They went 24-21 in the 45 games he started.

He was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Chris Gimenez and cash on August 30, 2018. Wilson had sprained his ankle a few days earlier, and was on the ten day injured list. The Cubs were expecting him to serve as a third catcher once rosters expanded in September, but he never came off the injured list.

Wilson played 15 games for the Tigers in 2019, spending most of that year in the minors. He retired after the season, and was hired by the Texas Rangers to manage their Double-A affiliate. Wilson was added to their Major League staff in 2021, and helped them win a World Series in 2023.

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