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Pack in the Pros

Former NC State Standout Will Wilson Earns MLB Call-Up with Seattle Mariners

Pack Pride Staff

Published

1 month ago

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It’s been a long road since his days patrolling the middle infield for the Wolfpack, but Will Wilson is back in the big leagues.


The Seattle Mariners selected infielder Will Wilson from Triple-A Tacoma, giving the former NC State shortstop his latest opportunity at the MLB level.

Wilson, who played for the Pack from 2017 to 2019, will don number 7 for the Mariners as he makes his debut in Seattle’s uniform.Pack fans who followed Wilson closely during his college days will remember a player who arrived in Raleigh as an undrafted high schooler from Kings Mountain, N.C., and left as a consensus All-American and first-round draft pick.

Wilson started all 61 games as a freshman in 2017, batting .300 with 21 doubles (tied for the ACC lead and second-most by any freshman nationally), eight home runs, and 48 RBIs. He earned ACC All-Freshman honors and Freshman All-American recognition. His production only climbed from there.

As a sophomore in 2018, Wilson hit .307 with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs while setting an NC State record with three ACC Player of the Week awards. He earned First Team All-ACC honors and represented the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

Wilson saved his best for his junior season in 2019. He slashed .339 with 20 doubles, 16 home runs, and 57 RBIs in 55 games, leading the Wolfpack in several categories. That year he was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-ACC, a Brooks Wallace Award finalist, and a consensus All-American. He finished his NC State career ranked eighth all-time in home runs (39), doubles (57), and ninth in total bases (around 409). His three-year slash line sat at a robust .315/.394/.584.

Selected 15th overall by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2019 MLB Draft, Wilson began a professional journey that has taken him through multiple organizations: the Angels, Giants, Guardians, and now the Mariners. He made his MLB debut with Cleveland in 2025, appearing in 34 games with a .192 average in limited action.

After being outrighted by the Guardians following the 2025 season, he signed a minor-league deal with Seattle in late January 2026 and reported to the Tacoma Rainiers.

In early 2026 action with Tacoma, the 27-year-old has shown flashes of his old college bat, hitting .275 with one home run, two doubles, four RBIs, a stolen base, and solid plate discipline.

The call-up comes after the Mariners placed infielder Brendan Donovan on the 10-day injured list (left groin strain) and transferred Miles Mastrobuoni to the 60-day IL.

Wilson, a versatile defender capable of playing second base, third base, and shortstop, provides immediate right-handed depth for Seattle’s infield.

While Wilson has primarily been viewed as a utility and depth piece at the MLB level so far, his track record at NC State reminds us of a hitter with plus bat-to-ball skills and legitimate power potential despite his compact frame. Scouts long praised his makeup, baseball IQ, and defensive reliability, even as questions about his speed and range pushed projections toward second base or a utility role.

For Wolfpack faithful who watched him develop into one of the program’s top middle infielders of the modern era, and the first NC State player drafted in the first round since the Carlos Rodón and Trea Turner duo in 2014, this latest promotion is another chapter worth cheering. It may be a short-term injury replacement, but in baseball, opportunities like this can lead to longer stays when the bat finds its rhythm.

Wilson joins Turner, Rodon and Patrick Bailey as the other former Wolfpackers currently in the bigs.

Wilson is not in the starting lineup tonight vs. the A’s.

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