Catcher to manager, with a 20-year wait, natural fit for Barrington native Wilson

Manager Dan Wilson is a connection to all of the Seattle Mariners glory days.

He played on the 1995 team that beat the Yankees in the playoffs, one of the most thrilling finishes in MLB history. He was part of the 116-win squad of 2001. He played alongside Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki, Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez and Alex Rodriguez.

At the same time, Wilson was also part of an amazing group growing up in Barrington.

As time passes, it's worth remembering the collection of Barrington players that went to the Little League World Series in 1981, won a high school state championship in 1986, followed by two second-place finishes; and also won a pair of American Legion state titles.

“You can't ask for a better situation for baseball than when we were growing up,” Wilson said from the visitors dugout at Wrigley Field. “I had a lot of great teammates around me. It was competitive. It was a great situation in Barrington at the time.”

There were eight players, from three different grade levels, who were part of both the Little League World Series team and the 1986 high school state title. The Little League run in Williamsport, Pa. ended in ridiculously dramatic fashion.

Trailing Tampa, Fla., 11-4 heading into the final inning, Barrington scored 6 runs, then had the tying run thrown out at the plate to end the game and send Tampa to the championship contest against Taiwan.

“(Future big-leaguer) Derek Bell was on that (Tampa) team we were playing against,” Wilson said. “What an experience for us at a young age. We're actually playing in Williamsport later this summer, so it will be an interesting reunion.”

The Mariners will face the New York Mets in MLB's annual Little League Classic on Aug. 17. So Wilson will have the chance to reconnect with Williamsport, but says there's never been a Barrington baseball reunion.

“We had a retirement party for (former Barrington head coach) Kirby Smith several years ago and there were quite a few people there,” Wilson said. “Outside of that, we haven't had a formal gathering.”

Twenty year wait

Of course, Wilson has been busy since his high school days ended. After playing in college at Minnesota, he was the No. 7 overall draft pick by Cincinnati. After two seasons with the Reds, he was traded to Seattle and stayed until he retired in 2005. Wilson ranks sixth on the list of most games played for the Mariners.

He might have been a better pitcher in high school (going 27-1 as a junior and senior), but in the big leagues, Wilson was a catcher. The idea that he would manage the Mariners someday would have surprised no one in the Pacific Northwest. But the 20-year gap between retiring as a player and becoming Seattle's manager is unusual.

Wilson and his wife Annie have four kids, two girls and two boys. His son Elijah is a catcher for the Pirates' Triple-A team in Indianapolis. So when Wilson hung up the catcher's mask, he decided it was time to focus on family. He did some broadcasting, then became the Mariners' minor-league catching coordinator in 2011.

On Aug. 22 last year, the Mariners fired manager Scott Servais and offered the job to Wilson.

“It's been quite a journey with this organization, which has been really great to us,” he said. “I was thrilled at the opportunity, and thankful and grateful that the Mariners trusted me with that.”

North Sider at heart

Some would be in awe of a strong wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, like it has been this weekend. Wilson has seen it all before.

“A lot of memories watching on TV of Dave Kingman and all those years,” Wilson said. “I know this ballpark can give up home runs. I think our club, if we play our game, we'll be in good shape.”

There is an interesting catcher connection at work. Wilson said he used to pick his trips to Wrigley Field for when the Cincinnati Reds were in town, because catcher Johnny Bench was his favorite player. On Friday, Wilson's current catcher Cal Raleigh passed Bench for the most home runs by a catcher (29) before the all-star break.

Somehow, Wilson never played in a game at Wrigley Field, according to baseball-reference.com. He was just breaking in during his two years with the Reds and must have missed those trips. Then the Mariners played for the first time on the North Side in 2007, after he retired.

“(We) came to Wrigley Field, usually about once a year in my childhood,” Wilson said. “Just watching the Cubs on TV every day as a kid was pretty cool. Summers were a lot of Wiffle ball and a lot of Cubs games. So it's great to be back here.”