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| Tommy Wilson - Photo by Ernest Dove |
By Ernest Dove
It was a wild ride in a few short hours recently for minor league pitcher Tommy Wilson AKA son of Biff (we’ll get into that later). The right hander was selected in the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft out of California State University, Fullerton by the New York Mets.
Tommy made 11 successful appearances that season for the Mets with their rookie level at the time affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones pitching to a 1.23 ERA and allowing opponents batting average of .163.
I then covered Tommy during the start of his 2019 season pitching in the Florida State League with the St. Lucie Mets. He only made 8 starts at the High A Level before being promoted due to his 2.01 ERA and .202 opponents average against at the level. To me his success was command of his fastball and more specifically its movement.
MM: What was it like this offseason changing not only one but two different teams in one day? (Tommy was recently selected in the rule 5 draft by the Seattle Mariners but within hours traded to the Baltimore Orioles).
Tommy: It was crazy for sure. Really odd, but fun at the same time. I’m just stoked that the Orioles see something in me and wanted me to be a part of their organization.
MM: Please talk about your 2021 season adjustments, progress, changes to some of your pitches, improvements that worked this past year?
Tommy: 2021 felt really solid for me. I was really happy with how it went and I think the main adjustment was getting used to coming out of the bullpen. It’s a totally different mentality and I had a lot of fun with it. The new cutter I implemented was huge for me and I was using it quite a lot. My changeup was terrible all year which was a bummer, so that’s been a main focus this off season. If I can lock that changeup back in, I’m excited to see what I can do this upcoming year.
MM: Any recent talks, consultations and planning for next season in regards to staying strong, healthy?
Tommy: I haven’t had a chance yet to talk with the Orioles trainers yet but actually have a call scheduled for this week. In my eyes the main focus will be to keep the shoulder on a good path and stay healthy going forward.
MM: Have coaches/player development staff talked with you since the trade on what to work on going forward through the offseason?
Tommy: In my few days with the Orioles, we have chatted a bit on plans for next season and plans to finish out my off season. Nothing too crazy yet in regards to my own player plan but I’m excited to chat more with them about my future with the organization.
MM: Does anyone treat you differently or mention you being the son of a celebrity ? (Tommy is the son of actor Thomas Wilson, perhaps most known for his role as Biff Tannen in the movie Back to the Future).
Tommy: I’m honestly not sure. Anyone new that I meet finds out eventually and thinks it’s super cool and eventually moves on! It eventually becomes normal to them as well I would assume.
MM: Are you going to continue to produce more podcasts? (Tommy has been on podcasts including recently discussing being a digital artist and talking about NFTs ‘“non-fungible tokens”. Tommy: I honestly would love to. I had a lot of fun with my previous podcast. For now I just really don’t have the time but definitely could see myself pursuing that again in the future. Maybe attached to a YouTube channel as well. MM: 5. Talk to us about your other super talent, aside from pitching, being in the digital realm with NFT art? Tommy: Haha, appreciate the compliment. I got started through former big leaguer Micah Johnson. I helped him out on a project that turned out to be an NFT and then I jumped into it myself with my own art. It has been incredibly fruitful and a fun avenue I didn’t expect my life to take. I definitely see NFT’s as the future of collectibles in all arenas. Everything you see is turning digital nowadays. Digital scarcity is a tough thing to wrap your head around, but once you get it, it clicks. MM: Back to baseball, fellow former pitching prospect Kevin Smith is also with the Orioles organization. You were close with Kevin when he was with the Mets. What is your relationship on and off the field with Kevin? Are you excited to be back together with the same organization? Tommy: I’m super stoked! I got to live with Kevin in PSL in 2019 and that was a blast. We’re pretty close and keep in touch. I’m excited to connect with him again for sure. MM: What are your plans for your playing future? Where do you see yourself in 2022 and beyond? Tommy: I will play ball as long as I can. I’m happy to be a part of the Orioles organization and hope to be a part of a fantastic rebuild. I see myself playing a role for them in 2022.
MM: What would you like to promote? Where can we find you online, projects you are working on? Tommy: I would like to promote Chick Fil A and their fantastic chicken sandwiches as well as customer service. You can find me online on twitter and on instagram.
After having an up and down rest of his season at the AA level with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies to finish the year, Wilson was placed back at AA level this past season in 2021.
I spoke with him prior to the start of the season and learned of some of his adjustments specifically to his mechanics. Wilson had a delivery where he kept his glove hand separated from his other hand during the delivery, leading to concerns perhaps at the higher AA level of hitters picking up on the ball too soon. So he cleaned up his mechanics and delivery to maintain the ball hidden from now on.
Due to some minor injuries delaying his debut, Tommy began the 2021 season on June 24th. Also of note he was pitching out of the bullpen all year, as opposed to his time starting throughout all of 2019. I had a chance to catch up with the talented pitcher, podcaster and digital artist to talk Mets, Mariners, Orioles, training and NFT, with help from fellow writers at Mack's Mets supplying questions.
Mack's Mets: Tommy, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us on the site. I wanted to first ask about your time in the Mets organization. How was it for you entering into pro ball with them and throughout this time?
Tommy: I couldn’t be more thankful to the Mets organization for drafting me and taking a chance on me. I learned a lot and made a lot of life long friends. Some truly incredible guys that I’m happy I had the chance to play ball with. I’m bummed it had to end but I’m sure I’ll cross paths with many of them in the future.
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| Tommy Wilson - Photo by Ernest Dove |
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| Tommy Wilson - Photo by Ernest Dove |
MM: Are you going to continue to produce more podcasts? (Tommy has been on podcasts including recently discussing being a digital artist and talking about NFTs ‘“non-fungible tokens”. Tommy: I honestly would love to. I had a lot of fun with my previous podcast. For now I just really don’t have the time but definitely could see myself pursuing that again in the future. Maybe attached to a YouTube channel as well. MM: 5. Talk to us about your other super talent, aside from pitching, being in the digital realm with NFT art? Tommy: Haha, appreciate the compliment. I got started through former big leaguer Micah Johnson. I helped him out on a project that turned out to be an NFT and then I jumped into it myself with my own art. It has been incredibly fruitful and a fun avenue I didn’t expect my life to take. I definitely see NFT’s as the future of collectibles in all arenas. Everything you see is turning digital nowadays. Digital scarcity is a tough thing to wrap your head around, but once you get it, it clicks. MM: Back to baseball, fellow former pitching prospect Kevin Smith is also with the Orioles organization. You were close with Kevin when he was with the Mets. What is your relationship on and off the field with Kevin? Are you excited to be back together with the same organization? Tommy: I’m super stoked! I got to live with Kevin in PSL in 2019 and that was a blast. We’re pretty close and keep in touch. I’m excited to connect with him again for sure. MM: What are your plans for your playing future? Where do you see yourself in 2022 and beyond? Tommy: I will play ball as long as I can. I’m happy to be a part of the Orioles organization and hope to be a part of a fantastic rebuild. I see myself playing a role for them in 2022.
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| Tommy Wilson - Photo by Ernest Dove |
MM: What would you like to promote? Where can we find you online, projects you are working on? Tommy: I would like to promote Chick Fil A and their fantastic chicken sandwiches as well as customer service. You can find me online on twitter and on instagram.
Really good guy. kind of him to stay in touch with me since 2019. wish him the best with Orioles who are stacked with prospects right now.
ReplyDeleteErnest, great interview, and he is going to a team that, while stacked with prospects, sure needs pitching. Maybe his MLB debut will be soon in 2022. Wonder why the Mets did not protect him?
ReplyDeleteHe could be an interesting future taxi squad up and down guy to fill holes. Definitely rooting for him.
DeleteGood stuff.
ReplyDeleteNever have understood why the Mets don't protect pitchers that have an ERA of less than 2 and then draft, in the same draft, pitchers with 4+ ERAs.
Based on what I know about these guys behind the scenes I think Orioles team and market could be perfect for him and Kevin Smith to succeed and get that shot.
DeleteErnest, it will be very interesting to see what sort of team you could build just out of Mets prospects and outcasts by the end of 2022. Might be a very good team.
ReplyDeleteWould have depth
DeleteYou never know who is going to be a success and who just won't be able to make the transition. Look at Jacob deGrom's track record and he was on again/off again on alternate years. Then you look at eye popping numbers like Thomas Szapucki put up that didn't translate to escalation due to unforeseen health issues. Then you see others who stunned in the minors like Rafael Montero who just couldn't seem to take the next step (though his manager at the time was good at killing young ballplayers' careers).
ReplyDelete