Amateur Wilson led his
Barrington, Illinois Little League team to a third-place finish in the
1981 Little League World Series. At
Barrington High School, he starred as a pitcher, with a 27–1 win–loss record his final two seasons, and catcher. He was selected in the 26th round of the
1987 MLB draft by the
New York Mets. Wilson did not sign, electing to play
college baseball. At the
University of Minnesota, Wilson pitched in an
NCAA Tournament Regional game his first year in 1988, also batting .347 for the season. That summer, he played
summer baseball with the
Cotuit Kettleers of the
Cape Cod Baseball League. After that summer, he gave up pitching, since he preferred playing catcher and playing every day. In 1989, he was named to the second-team All-
Big Ten Conference team with Minnesota, then played for the
U.S. Collegiate National Team in the summer, batting .325 in 30 games. In his junior season, Wilson batted .370 and was a first-team
All-American. Following his playing career, Wilson was inducted into the
Golden Gophers' Hall of Fame in 2008. He signed in time to play 32 games with the
Charleston Wheelers of the
South Atlantic League. He returned to Charleston to open the 1991 season,
batting .315 in 52 games before earning a promotion to
Double-A Chattanooga. Wilson made the Reds'
Opening Day roster in 1993, backing up
Joe Oliver. He returned to Triple-A with the new Reds A affiliate, the
Indianapolis Indians in July. In parts of two seasons with Cincinnati, he batted .257 with 11 RBI in 48 games.
Seattle Mariners (1994–2005) Following the
1993 season, the Reds traded Wilson and pitcher
Bobby Ayala to the
Seattle Mariners for second baseman
Bret Boone and pitcher
Erik Hanson. The Mariners made the trade to dump Hanson's salary and add two prospects. Wilson made the Mariners' roster out of
spring training in
1994 and became an established major-league player, replacing
Dave Valle as the M's primary catcher. In his first game, he picked off a stumbling
Manny Ramirez at second base. In his rookie season, Wilson struggled at the plate, batting .216, but he showed signs of his defensive ability with a .986 fielding percentage. That was the lowest fielding percentage he would have as the Mariners' primary catcher. The
1995 season went better for him; he played 119 games, batting .278 and raising his fielding percentage to .995, as the Mariners won the
American League (AL) West division for the first time in franchise history. In his first postseason, Wilson batted 2-for-33, going hitless in six
AL Championship Series games. Wilson hit three
home runs on April 11, 1996 in Detroit. That July, he made his only
All-Star Game. In the
1996 season, Wilson set career highs with 146 games played, 18 home runs, 83
runs batted in, and a .774
on-base plus slugging. Wilson signed a two-year, $6.55 million contract extension in April 1997, lasting through the 1999 season. He was the
battery-mate for Mariners pitcher
Randy Johnson on June 24, when Johnson struck out 19 batters in a game against the
Oakland Athletics, just one
strikeout less than the
major league single-game record of 20 strikeouts in a 9 inning game. Several weeks later on August 8, Johnson, again throwing to Wilson, struck out 19
Chicago White Sox batters. In 1997, he excelled against left-handed pitching, with a .657
slugging percentage, one of the best in the majors. That July, he tore ligaments in his left ankle while chasing after a
passed ball, sending him to the
disabled list for the first time in his career. Wilson remained a dependable receiver for Mariners pitchers over the next several seasons. In 2000, Wilson's numbers declined to a .235 batting average and .990 fielding percentage; he was also limited to 90 games as a result of injuries. That postseason, he batted 1-for-14, snapping his 0-for-42 postseason slump in the final loss to the
New York Yankees in the
AL Championship Series. However, he regained his form in 2001, playing 123 games (122 at catcher) and posting a .265 batting average and a .999 fielding percentage, making 1 error all season. He had a .998 fielding percentage over 96 games in 2003, batting .241 after beginning season on the injured list. In his last full, healthy season, he batted .251 with 33 RBI in 2004. On May 4, Wilson suffered a
torn ACL in his right knee during a game against the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He had considered retiring after the 2005 season, and he announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season, on September 12. Although a torn ACL commonly keeps athletes sidelined for most of a season, Wilson spent most of the rest of the season rehabilitating his knee and was activated from the
disabled list on September 30. He came back for one final inning that night against the
Oakland Athletics; he had not recovered enough to swing a bat, but he was able to crouch and throw. The Mariners' starting pitcher that night was
Jamie Moyer, whom Wilson had caught for 190 previous starts dating back to 1996. Moyer pitched to five batters in the inning, which ended when
Bobby Kielty flied out to center field, and held Oakland scoreless. Wilson was pulled after catching Moyer's warmup pitches in the top of the second inning. Moyer pitched seven more innings, and the Mariners won, 4–1. ==Career statistics==