A quintessential feast or famine player, Preston Wilson brought excitement to the stands with each plate appearance. A first round draft pick, he joined the 30/30 club and averaged nearly 100 RBIs per year while striking out at an absurdly high rate (24.5%) for the era in which he played. He was often traded to teams looking for power and a better salary impact. This was exactly the case when the Mets traded Wilson to the Florida Marlins after just 8 games. New York received Mike Piazza and Florida got a bat they could afford before having to issue Piazza’s first paycheck. Wilson played for a new team on average every other year. Nagging injuries (I think I have knees like that, too) led to his retirement after just 10 years. He has now been an MLB sportscaster for the Marlins longer than his entire playing career.
The Card
I went through a half dozen of this card to find one worth including in my set. Most had centering issues. I love how Wilson appears in a Mets uniform, even though he only played 8 games for the team. The New York uniform ties him to the famous ’86 Mets. This is particularly of note as World Series hero Mookie Wilson is Preston’s adopted father and uncle. Preston’s mother married Mookie’s brother at a young age. They split up soon after, and Mookie married her several years later. For some reason this is one of my favorite Preston Wilson facts and this card fits nicely with that theme.
