[BigBadBuc]

The Bucs have signed Jack Wilson to a three year 20 million dollar extension. Furcal gets about eleven million a year and so I guess that's about right. Jason Bay and now Jack Wilson get long term contracts. Littlefield is only giving those long term contracts to players that are young and proven. I'm impressed.

BBB

[Lefty Noob]

Glad to see Wilson getting an extension. He's a solid player and should be a cornerstone of that team for years to come.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Dude are we talking about the same Jack Wilson?...I don't think the word cornerstone means what you think it means...

[Lefty Noob]

This is from the AP's story on the Wilson signing.

"When you look at building on Jason Bay and Jack Wilson, those are two pretty good players to start with as far as character," Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy said. "That's a nice aspect of it. But the key is performance and strengthening ourselves up the middle."

With Wilson and second baseman Jose Castillo, who is signed for three more years, the Pirates have one of the best defensive middle infields in baseball. Wilson was runner-up for the Gold Glove last year.

"It's a great building block to have that up the middle," manager Jim Tracy said. "Those two can be special for a number of years."

Okay, let's review: McClatchy is focusing on building on Bay and Wilson. The reporter commented that the Bucs have of the best defensive middle infields in baseball. Wilson was the runner-up for Gold Glove last year. Tracy called him a great building block. Perhaps cornerstone was a little too strong, but there's no doubt that Wilson and Bay will be the foundation of this lineup for years to come.

[wedge]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Glad to see Wilson getting an extension. He's a solid player and should be a cornerstone of that team for years to come.

That's the problem with baseball. Solid, average player who have a career .263 average gets 6.5 million a year. But that's the going rate these days.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Perhaps cornerstone was a little too strong, but there's no doubt that Wilson and Bay will be the foundation of this lineup for years to come.

I'll give you "building block" over "cornerstone"...

[wvuauthor]

I agree with the fact that he is not a "cornerstone." He does have a great glove, but he is suspect at best at the plate. I hope that he can have a good start at the plate to get his confidence up.

[BigBadBuc]

We need to see the year Jack has this year without the lost weight. This will give us a clearer indication on what kind of an offensive player he is.

Jack Wilson had a terrific 2004 and has a track record of hitting close to .300 at every level. Let's hope that 2006 is a repeat of 2004.

BBB

[wvuauthor]

BBB,

Well, he had a great first half of 2004, but really slacked off after the all-star break. We need to see a consistent season from beginning to end. This would put to rest all the speculation about Wilson not being worth the money.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Glad to see Wilson getting an extension. He's a solid player and should be a cornerstone of that team for years to come.

Hey Lefty...I take it back buddy...Wilson appears to be a cornerstone so far 3 homer, .341 average...I jsut got him for my fantasy team.

[Lefty Noob]

Well, entering today's action, he was tied for third on the team in average, tied for first in RBI and tied for second in home runs. All are above league averages at the shortstop position and Jack has an OPS of 1.014. A good start to the season, to be sure. Just 1-for-4 today in yet another loss to the Cubbies, though. Same ol' Bucs...