By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
On December 10, 2011, Angels fans got their first chance to meet the newest member of their starting rotation: C. J. Wilson. While Angels fans had come to know of him from his days in Texas, they really didn’t know what kind of pitcher they were getting.
Since then, Angels fans have come to know Wilson as a bit of a prankster and quite a jokester. His most recent prank, posting Mike Napoli’s phone number for fans to call, is one that will live in Angels’ lore for a long time.
However, beneath that hip exterior lies a very fierce competitor. When I met C. J. Wilson at the press conference in December, I was very impressed with his passion to excel and to be the best. He told me about his passion to succeed in baseball from his childhood, when he first realized how fierce the competition would be to play Major League baseball. With Wilson, his passion wasn’t forced or a sign of bravado. Instead, it came across as an intense desire to never settle for mediocrity.
After talking with Wilson a couple of times, I believe that the Angels truly got the right pitcher to improve their rotation for the next five years. The combination of Weaver, Haren, Santana, and Wilson will push all Angels pitchers to leave their best on the mound each and every night, and that will lead to plenty of exciting games for Angels fans.
Recently, AngelsWin.com got to meet up with C. J. Wilson for an update on his offseason and his Spring Training so far. Please click below to listen to his interview with AngelsWin.com.