Alex Wilson Stats & Scouting Report

IP	332
ERA	3.443
WHIP	1.22
BB/9	2.44
SO/9	6.127

Full name William Alexander Wilson
Born 11/03/1986 in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 227 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Texas A&M
Debut 04/11/2013
Drafted in the 2nd round (77th overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2009 (signed for $470,700).

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Wilson projected as a possible first-round pick before he blew out his elbow in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2007, shortly before he transferred from Winthrop to Texas A&M. He redshirted with the Aggies last spring, though he did reach 94 mph in bullpen workouts that attracted a number of scouts. The Cubs took a flier on him in the 10th round last June and followed him when he returned to the Cape in the summer. Chicago reportedly offered him $600,000 to sign but he was looking for $1.5 million. Wilson looked to be in line for that kind of bonus when he opened this season with a 91-95 mph fastball and a true slider, but his stuff slacked off later in the spring and didn't pick up when Texas A&M moved him to the bullpen. By May, his fastball had flattened out and was down to 88-91 mph and his breaking ball had become slurvy. In his final chance to impress scouts, he got pounded by Oregon State in the opening round of the NCAA Division I regionals. Wilson is mainly a two-pitch pitcher, so he projects as a reliever in pro ball. His control has been sharp (105-18 K-BB ratio in 75 innings) for a pitcher in his first season back after elbow reconstruction. He figures to be a second-round pick at this point, though he's believed to be looking for a seven-figure bonus as a 22-year-old junior.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

A second-round pick in 2009, Wilson spent his first two and a half pro seasons as a starter before the Red Sox moved him to the bullpen in 2012. They anticipated that his fastball/slider combination would play up in short stints. But his velocity--mostly 92-93 mph--and overall stuff have yet to receive a late-inning bump. Wilson, however, now works more with a two-seamer than a four-seamer, and in his big league debut in 2013, he induced enough bad contact to become a viable seventh-inning option. That lasted through the end of June, by which point Wilson had posted a 3.33 ERA and strikeout rate of 7.0 per nine innings, but then a thumb injury led to a couple of ERA-inflating outings in early July. The injury ultimately proved the end of his season, requiring surgery. Despite the modest profile, Wilson is a major league-ready bullpen option who could step in and contribute in the sixth or seventh inning to begin 2014, with the possibility that his stuff could tick up a bit with his thumb issue behind him.
Though Wilson was Boston's minor league pitcher of the year in 2011 as a starter and didn't make a single relief appearance in his first three pro seasons, scouts long have projected him as a bullpen arm. He made three more starts to open 2012 before becoming a full-time reliever in mid-April. He had ups and downs in his new role but was lights-out in the International League playoffs, working five perfect innings as Pawtucket won the championship. Wilson mainly works with a 91-94 mph fastball and a 81-85 mph slider that devastates hitters at times. His stuff didn't kick up a notch as expected, however, when he made the move to the bullpen. Wilson's fastball lacks life, and his command, control and changeup are average at best, which is why he profiles better as a reliever. He has a maximum-effort delivery that contributed to Tommy John surgery while he was in college in 2007. Wilson has the mentality to work the late innings, and could wind up in that role with slightly better stuff and improved command. For now, he has a good shot to break into Boston's bullpen as a middle reliever in 2013.
Wilson has made a habit of bouncing back from adversity. He had Tommy John surgery while in college in 2007 but recovered to become a second-round pick two years later. He reached Double-A Portland in his first full pro season in 2010 and got hammered for a 6.66 ERA, then returned there last year and conquered the Eastern League. He finished 2011 with four strong starts in Triple-A and won the organization's minor league pitcher of the year award. Wilson has the best fastball and breaking ball in the system. He operates at 93-96 mph and can reach back for 98 with his fastball, which features some sink and run. His 82-85 mph slider has hard bite and be unhittable at times. His changeup is an average pitch, though he doesn't use it often. Because he has two overpowering pitches and had violence to his delivery, scouts have projected Wilson as a reliever since his college days. But he toned down his mechanics in 2011, improving his command and his ability to maintain his stuff deeper into games. He does have the mentality to work the late innings, and he'll probably break into the majors as a reliever in 2012. It's not out of the question that he could be a No. 3 starter, though.
Few pitchers in the Red Sox system have a combination of pitches more devastating than Wilson's fastball and slider. While throwing 134 innings in his first full year as a pro in 2010, he sat at 92-93 mph and topped out at 95 with his fastball throughout the season. His low-80s, late-breaking slider can be unhittable. Though all 40 of Wilson's pro appearances have been as a starter, his future is as a reliever. There's some effort to his delivery--he had Tommy John surgery in 2007--and he overthrows at times, so his command can come and go. He doesn't have a reliable third pitch to help him turn over a lineup two or three times, which became apparent when Double-A hitters tattooed him to the tune of a 6.66 ERA. He'll flash an average changeup but it often lacks enough separation from his fastball, and his curveball is just a show-me pitch. Wilson has the makeup to work the late innings and the stuff to be a closer. There's no timetable for moving him to the bullpen, but Boston needs relief help and he might be able to contribute by the end of 2011. He'll return to Double-A to start the year.
Scouts viewed Wilson as a potential first-round pick for 2008 until he blew out his elbow in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2007, right before he transferred from Winthrop to Texas A&M. He redshirted in 2008 but generated draft interest when he touched 94 mph in bullpen workouts. The Cubs selected him in the 10th round and scouted him in his return to the Cape, reportedly offering him $600,000, well short of his $1.5 million asking price. Wilson flashed first-round stuff last spring but tailed off before the draft, enabling the Red Sox to land him in the second round for $470,700. They like to break college pitchers into pro ball with short starts at Lowell, and he was spectacular in that role, limiting opponents to a .085 average. At his best, Wilson can carve up hitters with two pitches: a fastball that sits at 92-93 mph and peaks at 95, and a wipeout slider. Though there's some effort in his delivery, he repeats it well and throws strikes. He could move quickly as a reliever, but Boston hasn't ruled out developing him as a starter. To succeed in that role, he'll have to refine his changeup and prove he can maintain his stuff late into games and into the season. Wilson will spend his first full pro season in the Salem rotation.

Minor League Top Prospects

Wilson had Tommy John surgery after two dominating seasons for Winthrop, which led him to sit out 2008 after transferring to Texas A&M. He showed power stuff early this spring for the Aggies before seeing his velocity decline in the weeks before the draft, but he rebounded at Lowell, where the Red Sox limited him to three innings per start. "I like him a ton," Oneonta manager Howard Bushong said. "He works quick, gets after it, and he was 91-95 the last time we saw him. Everything stays down in the zone, and he's got a pretty dang good slider." Wilson pounded the strike zone with his fastball this summer, though he has a max-effort delivery and throws every heater as hard as he can in short stints. His slider rates as average to plus, and he can throw it for strikes or as a chase pitch. His bulldog mentality, power two-pitch repertoire and delivery all point to a future in the bullpen.