Okotoks high school alum Wilkinson pitching for Giants in MLB debut season
Matt 'Tugboat' Wilkinson, who attended Foothills Composite High School in Okotoks before his baseball career took off, made his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants last month.
Matt Wilkinson, nicknamed 'Tugboat' since childhood in Ladner, B.C., has spent three weeks pitching for the San Francisco Giants in his rookie MLB season. He made his debut on Aug. 19 against the Cleveland Guardians, the team that originally drafted him.
Wilkinson attended Foothills Composite High School in Okotoks, Alta., before playing college baseball at Central Arizona College, where he was named the NJCAA Division I pitcher of the year in 2023. Cleveland selected him 308th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, and he quickly excelled in the Guardians' minor-league system, posting a 1.90 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 2024.
On May 9, the Guardians traded Wilkinson to San Francisco for catcher Patrick Bailey. He worked his way through the Giants' minor-league affiliates before being called up in August, finishing his minor-league season with a 6-6 record and 96 strikeouts over 90 innings across four teams.
Since reaching the majors, Wilkinson has a 6.14 ERA and eight strikeouts over 14 2/3 innings. He said adjusting to major-league competition has been demanding but manageable, crediting lessons learned from both organizations, including Giants bullpen coach Jesse Chavez.
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