Star Closer Wilson Returns
CLEBURNE, Texas (March 24, 2021) – The Cleburne Railroaders announced Friday the signing of right-handed pitcher Tyler Wilson.
Wilson had a career-best season operating as the Railroaders closer in 2019, finishing the year 3-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 41 appearances, covering 42.0 innings. The flame-throwing righty picked up 24 saves along the way, striking out 59 while issuing just 17 walks and allowing only 33 hits. He started and finished the year on a high note, beginning the campaign with 12 consecutive scoreless appearances and ending it with nine straight zeroes. He allowed an earned run in only five games during the season, and surrendered more than one earned run only once.
The 31-year-old Wilson was at his best pitching at The Depot at Cleburne Station, where he allowed just one run in 24.2 innings, amassing a staggering 35/6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Among pitchers who worked at least 40.0 innings, Wilson’s 12.6 strikeouts-per nine innings ranked fourth in the American Association, trailing only Matt Pobereyko of Sioux City, Myles Smith of Milwaukee and Casey Crosby of Chicago.
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks selected Wilson in the fifth round of the 2020 American Association dispersal draft when the Railroaders season was cancelled. The 6’6, 245-pounder went 1-2 with a 4.61 ERA in 15 games for the RedHawks, notching a pair of saves. After battling injuries in the early part of the season, Wilson bounced back with 10 scoreless appearances over his final 11 outings of the year. Opponents hit just .170 against him, and Wilson recorded a strong 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
Wilson impressed in a brief stint with the Railroaders in 2018, going 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 16 relief appearances. He notched 35 strikeouts along the way, yielding a rate of 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings that ranked tops in the American Association among pitchers with at least ten innings of work.
A native of Rome, Georgia, Wilson was drafted out of Armuchee High School by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2008 MLB Draft. After signing, Wilson began his professional career with the Red Sox Gulf Coast League affiliate as a starter. Over the next three years, Wilson steadily climbed the organizational ladder, first to Low-A Lowell and finally to Class-A Greenville. His best season came in 2011, when Wilson went 6-6 with a 3.44 ERA across two levels and 68.0 innings of work.
Wilson joined the Independent ranks in 2013 with the Trois-Rivieres Aigles of the Can-Am League, making 30 starts over the next two seasons to the tune of a 7-11 record. In 2015, the righty was converted to a reliever while with the Ottawa Champions, and immediately posted the two best campaigns of his career. Over 74 relief appearances, Wilson compiled a sparkling 2.57 ERA, racking up 15 saves in the process. He also began to find his strikeout stuff, piling up 113 punch-outs to only 41 walks in 87.2 innings.
Wilson moved to the Atlantic League with the Long Island Ducks in 2017, going 2-2 with a 5.47 ERA before signing with the Lincoln Saltdogs. He was traded to Cleburne on March 27, 2018 in exchange for a player to be named later.
For information on partnerships, season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Railroaders main office at (817) 945-8705, or visit the Railroaders official website at www.railroaderbaseball.com.