Free agent reliever Brian Wilson has not pitched in a regular season game in over a year. He underwent Tommy John Surgery 15 months ago and is just now starting to show signs of getting back near full strength.
On Monday, Wilson threw a session off a mound while San Francisco Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti stood in the batter’s box and bullpen catcher Billy Hayes reportedly caught for him. Wilson is not under contract with the Giants, but Andrew Baggerly of CSNBayArea.com reported that Righetti and Hayes joined him as a personal favor.
“We want to keep in touch with his progress,” Giants vice president Bobby Evans said. “He’s a Giant through and through. So we want to stay involved.”
Baggarly cited one source who said Wilson had “terrific stuff” and that he was throwing his cut fastball with movement in the mid-90s. He also reportedly displayed good feel with his changeup.
Wilson, who was said to have looked game ready, is scheduled to showcase his progress in another session in Los Angeles later this week. With teams always searching for bullpen help around this time of year, he is sure to receive plenty of interest if that session goes as well as Monday’s. Baggarly speculated that even the Giants could look to bring him back, though they’ll probably have competition from a number of other teams is Wilson is willing to sign for the right price.
And to top it all off, this photo seems to prove that the beard is still intact. That could be a selling point for some teams.
