After 7 Years In The Minors, Weston Wilson Went Deep In His First Major League At Bat
Some things in sports will never cease being cool. Some things never wear thin, and seeing a Major League Baseball player go deep in his first major league at-bat is on the Mount Rushmore of things that will always be awesome. Before tonight, I'll be honest. I had never heard of Weston Wilson. I'm not a Phillies fan, I'm not aware of what their farm system looks like, but that makes this moment all the more special. Wilson isn't a top prospect. This is the ultimate underdog story. It's the kind of shit you could only see in baseball. It never gets old.
As is often the case with these kinds of stories, Wilson had been grinding down in the minor leagues for a long time. Until this year, he was an afterthought. He wasn't bad enough to cut or send down, but he wasn't good enough in AAA to warrant being considered a Major League ball player. He turned it on this year. His OPS down in AAA Nashville was over 200 points higher this season than it was a year ago. He found his power stroke, which is a big reason he got called up to the big league level. My dude played 706 games down in the minor leagues, and all it took him was one at-bat to go deep at the big league level. That's some storybook shit.
As cool as it is seeing a guy accomplish his dream and go deep in his first Major League at-bat, the most excellent parts of these moments are seeing the parents' reactions. I don't know how anyone can control their emotions during a moment like this. If I ever had a son who made it to the major leagues, for one, it'd be a miracle because the poor kid would be cursed with terrible athletic genetics. But if he did, and he went deep in his first major league at-bat, I'd run on the field to hug the guy. So seeing Wilson's family get emotional over this is just the coolest thing in the world. As fans, sometimes we take for granted just how difficult it is to get to the big leagues. You can be in the top 1% of talented baseball players worldwide and never get a shot at the Major Leagues. And if you do get your shot, it might not last long. But regardless of what happens in the future, Weston Wilson will always have this one magical moment. Good for him.