Vance Wilson

Vance Allen Wilson (born March 17, 1973) is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a catcher. Listed at 5'11" tall and 215 pounds, he bats and throws right-handed.

Early career

Wilson was a high school standout at Red Mountain High School in Arizona, and continued his hometown success at Mesa Community College where he was tagged as a Junior College All-American in 1994.

The New York Mets selected Wilson in the 44th round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft, and the catcher signed with the team the following summer after finishing his college career.

After five arduous and injury riddled seasons in the Mets minor league system, Wilson made his major league debut on April 24, 1999, as a defensive replacement against the Chicago Cubs. Wilson's immediate tenure in New York was short-lived however, and he began the 2000 and 2001 seasons with Triple-A Norfolk.

New York Mets

Wilson finally began to play regularly with the Mets in late 2001, assuming the role of back-up catcher behind perennial National League All-Star Mike Piazza. Used as a pinch hitter and occasional spot-starter, Wilson's greatest value to the Mets was as a defensive replacement who could prevent runners from stealing bases (something Piazza struggled with). From 2001-04, Wilson ranked amongst the top three National League catchers for lowest opposing stolen base percentage.

Vance Wilson (musician)

Vance E. Wilson (Lancaster, 1925-10 August 2010) was a jazz alto and tenor sax player based in Philadelphia most known for playing lead tenor and alto sax on Clifford Brown's first recording in 1952, The Beginning and the End (Columbia, 1973), as a member of Chris Powell's Five Blue Flames, together with Osie Johnson at a double recording session in Chicago.

After settling in Philadelphia in around 1946, Wilson studied classical music at the Ornstein School of Music together with John Coltrane and Bill Barron. He also played in the first house band at Philadelphia's Club 421, a lineup led by Charlie Rice, and featuring Bob Bushnell (musician), Red Garland and Johnny Hughes, as well as leading his own bands there.

In 1958 he joined Steve Gibson and the Red Caps.

A friend of Count Basie's, he didn’t join his orchestra because he was tired of touring, one of the reasons he retired from the music business in the 1960s.

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