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cavalier profile TYLER WILSON Alum • Baseball Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't have a graduate degree in psychology. But it may seem like that when he describes former Virginia right-hander Tyler Wilson, who made his big league debut for the Orioles in 2015 and was on the 2016 opening day roster of the Birds. "He is tough mentally. He is a student with good aptitude," Showalter said. "He knows who he is and what he has to do. He is a baseball player who hap- pens to be a pitcher." Wilson was drafted by the Orioles out of Virginia in the 10th round in 2011 and made a steady climb up the minor league system. He began 2015 with Triple-A Norfolk and then made his big league de- but with Baltimore, where he pitched in nine games with five starts and posted a 2-2 record and 3.50 ERA. "That experience at that level was invaluable," Wilson said of his big league time. "I came in and had some expectations and more importantly rap- port with the guys. "I felt great coming in [to the spring], and I still feel that way." On opening day this year, Wilson came out of the bullpen following a rain delay and pitched three scoreless innings in a 3-2 Orioles win. He also went three scoreless innings in his second outing of this season in relief. "He is a competitor," Orioles' All-Star catcher Matt Wieters said. "His biggest attribute is always going to be his mentality on the mound. He is going to give you a chance to win the game." Wilson has a fastball that reaches "only" in the low 90s. In 2015, he was selected as having the best control among International League pitchers by the league's managers and coaches. "His stuff, to me, plays up better than a lot of people give him credit for," Wieters said. "The move- ment on the fastball is something that can make it overpowering at times. There is something a little bit different about his fastball. "Guys don't square it up much. I think he has a good fastball at 90, 91 miles per hour." After another relief outing, Wilson entered the Orioles' rotation and had made seven starts through May 30. For the season, he stood at 2-4 with a 3.83 ERA. In 49 1 ⁄3 innings of work, he had allowed 46 hits and 12 walks while striking out 26. — David Driver ◆ Photo by Todd Olszewski/ Baltimore Orioles