Around the Curve | Wilson Honored by Pirates with Hall of Fame Nod
Every young baseball player dreams of playing professional baseball, but only a slim percentage get to say they’ve had the chance. Even fewer can say they played in the Major Leagues, and fewer yet are immortalized following their career. Jack Wilson can now claim all three. The former Altoona Curve
Every young baseball player dreams of playing professional baseball, but only a slim percentage get to say they’ve had the chance. Even fewer can say they played in the Major Leagues, and fewer yet are immortalized following their career.
Jack Wilson can now claim all three.
The former Altoona Curve infielder was recently announced as part of the 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame Class, entering the esteemed club alongside John Candelaria and Wilbur Cooper. He becomes the first Altoona Curve player to be inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame, a group that will now consist of 32 members and was established in 2022.
A standout at Thousand Oaks High School in California, Wilson led the Golden State with a .581 batting average in 1995 and went on to play collegiately at Oxnard Junior College. He was a ninth-round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and was traded to the Pirates in July of 2000 in exchange for LHP Jason Christiansen.
Wilson played 33 games at the end of the 2000 season for the Curve, where he hit .252 with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBI. He earned the Pirates Opening Day spot at shortstop the following season and spent the first nine years of his 12-year career in Pittsburgh from 2001-2009, debuting as a 23-year-old and quickly becoming a fan-favorite at shortstop known for his great defense.
He ranks fourth in Pirates history in games played at shortstop with 1,128 during that nine-year window. He was voted team MVP in 2004, when he was an All-Star, a Silver Slugger Award Winner, and set the club record for the most double plays turned by a shortstop in a season with 129.
That summer, Wilson ranked third in the National League with 201 hits, becoming the ninth National League shortstop to ever collect 200 hits in a season and the first Pirates player to do so since Dave Parker 27 years earlier. He also tied Jimmy Rollins for the most triples in the National League with 12 that season.
Wilson ranks second all-time in games played (583) and hits (612) in PNC Park history, trailing just Andrew McCutchen in each category.
Wilson’s legacy stretches well beyond his own accolades on the field. In fact, it can be seen most nights in the Major Leagues to this day, with his son Jacob starring for the Athletics.
Jacob, who grew up in Pittsburgh watching his father’s career play out, was selected sixth overall in 2023 and reached the Majors a year later. A shortstop like his father, Wilson carries the family name back onto the diamond every night, a legacy that continues to grow for Jack.
Wilson returned to Curve, PA just one time after leaving town in 2000. He spent a seven-game stint on Major League rehab in 2008 with Altoona, playing four games at the formerly named Blair County Ballpark. For one of those four games, I also took the field in Curve, PA, as part of the State Farm Giants Field of Dreams team on May 26th. I remember begging my coach (and father) to send me out at shortstop so I could meet Wilson, but the rehabbing Pirate served as the Designated Hitter that day, leaving him on the first base line as I ran onto the infield dirt for the National Anthem.
There is one other Altoona Curve connection to this Pirates Hall of Fame class. Wilbur Cooper spent 13 years pitching with the Pirates from 1912-1924 and ranks first all-time among Pirates pitchers in wins (202) and complete games (263). He was a four-time winner of 20 games who led the National League with 22 wins in 1921 and was the first N.L. lefthander to win 200 games.
Cooper holds the Pirates club record for lowest ERA by a left-handed pitcher in a season (1.87 in 1916). As for that Curve connection, his great-grandson is Keoni DeRenne, who spent five years in the Pirates minor league system, most recently serving as Altoona’s Hitting Coach in 2018.
Wilson & Cooper will be honored along with the rest of the 2026 Hall of Fame class as part of a special pre-game ceremony on the field at PNC Park before the Pirates’ game against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, September 4, following his official induction on Thursday, September 3.