Craig Wilson (born November 30, 1976) is a right fielder and first baseman for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. As of the end of the 2005 season, Wilson had a career .268 batting average with 81 home runs and 241 runs batted in (RBI) in 549 games. A native of Fountain Valley, California, Wilson played high school ball at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California, and was drafted as a catcher out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Pirates acquired the rights to Wilson before the 1997 season, and gradually moved him to first base and the outfield. After several years in the minor leagues, Wilson was called up to the big-league club in 2001.
After three years as a role player and pinch-hitter, Wilson played regularly in 2004, hitting .264 with 29 home runs and 82 RBI in 155 games, but posting a franchise-record 169 strikeouts in 561 at-bats. He led the major leagues at being hit by pitches in 2002 (21) and 2004 (30). Wilson tied the major league single-season record for pinch-hit home runs with 7 in 2001.
In 2005, Wilson played in only 59 games as a result of two separate hand injuries that caused him to spend over half the season on the disabled list, playing in only 5 games between May 6 and August 28. Neither injury is expected to have any long-term effect on his play. He ended the season with a .264 average, 5 home runs, and 22 RBI in 197 at-bats.
