Brad Wilkerson will not be called up to the major leagues in September. The former Gator baseball star will be too busy.
Wilkerson was named Wednesday to the United States Olympic team and will represent America in Sydney, Australia. He is the first former Gator player to play baseball in the Olympics.
"If I can't get called up, this is a pretty good alternative," Wilkerson said from Pawtucket where his Ottawa Class AAA team played Wednesday night. "I'm really fired up. I can't wait to go."
Wilkerson, in only his second season of pro baseball, was called up from Class AA on June 15 and played in the Futures All-Star Game in Atlanta two days before the Major League All-Star game. He is hitting .262 with nine home runs in Class AAA.
"I knew it was a possibility, especially after getting off to such a good start this season," Wilkerson said. "I did put it down as one of my goals. It's going to be amazing. I've walked in the parade for the U.S. Olympic Festival, but this is the real thing.
"I don't know how much time we'll have in Australia because our main focus will be to play baseball. But I have a buddy on the Australian team who says it's great. I'd rather be going to Australia than any other country."
Wilkerson heard from his agent two weeks ago that he was a likely choice for the team, which will be managed by former Los Angeles manager Tommy Lasorda. He will drive home to Owensboro, Ky., after this minor league season before flying to Los Angeles on Sept. 1 for practices leading up to the trip to Sydney.
Also named to the team was former Toronto Blue Jay catcher Pat Borders, 37, now a member of Tampa Bay's minor-league system.
"I think they went for a mixture of older guys and prospects," Wilkerson said. "It should be a lot of fun."
The pitching staff includes Ryan Franklin, Chris George, Matt Ginter, Shane Heams, Rick Krivda, Roy Oswalt, Jon Rauch, C.C. Sabathia, Bobby Seay, Ben Sheet, Todd Williams, Tim Young and Kurt Ainsworth.
Infielders on the 28-man roster are Brent Abernathy, Sean Burroughs, Brent Butler, Mike Coolbaugh, Gookie Dawkins, Adam Everett, Doug Mientkiewicz, Marcus Jensen and Mike Kinkade.
The outfielders are Shawn Gilbert, Anthony Sanders, Ernie Young and Mike Neill.
Wilkerson played at UF from 1996-98, helping the Gators to a pair of College World Series appearances. He still holds many of the Florida hitting records.
On the way up
Former Florida Gator Brad Wilkerson, who was named to the U.S. Olympic team, has played in Class AA and AAA this season. A look at Wilkerson's climb through the Montreal Expos' system:
Ottawa (AAA)
AVERAGE: .264
HOME RUNS: 9
RBI: 31
Harrisburg (AA)
AVERAGE: .336
HOME RUNS: 6
RBI: 44
You can reach Pat Dooley by calling 374-5053 or by e-mail at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
