Brian Wilson non-tendered by Giants

Former Giants closer Brian Wilson is now a free agent after San Francisco non-tendered him.

Brian Wilson Injury: Tommy John Surgery 'Went As Planned' According to Giants Medical Staff

According to a report from CSN Bay Area San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson had a successful surgical procedure on Thursday according to team trainer Dave Groeschner, undergoing his second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews performed the procedure in Pensacola, Florida on Thursday, the same doctor who gave Wilson Tommy John back in 2003 when he was played in college for the LSU Tigers.

Wilson dealt with flexor tendon issues for most of last season, having to be shelved for almost two months on the disabled list. Wilson still recorded 36 saves with a 3.11 ERA in limited time in 2011, but was way off his 2010 mark of 48 saves and a 1.81 ERA. He recorded his one and only save April 12 in Colorado.

For more in depth discussion and analysis of the San Francisco Giants, please make sure you check out McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action. For more on MLB in general, head over to Baseball Nation.

Brian Wilson Injury: Giants Closer To Have Tommy John Surgery Thursday

The news we were all expecting game down on Wednesday night as San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson will go under the knife for his second Tommy John surgery of his career, sitting out until the start of 2013 at least for the Giants, if he in fact remains a Giant.

The renowned sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews will perform the surgery, with the usual recovery/rehabilitation process taking around 12 months to fully complete.

Wilson, per usual, has his own, unique take on the situation:

"The first time I got (Tommy John surgery), I looked at it as an opportunity to throw harder," Wilson said on Sunday. "You know, 21-year-old kid, I get to throw harder? That's pretty awesome. The difficult thing is the monotony of all the exercises and the time it takes. ... It's the mental part that can be overbearing, but you know what? I've done it once. Do it again. That's the case."

In six years in the major leagues, Wilson has career 3.21 ERA, 171 saves, 340 strikeouts, and 25 blown saves in 320 innings pitched.

For more discussion and analysis of Brian Wilson's injury and the San Francisco Giants in general, make sure you check out McCovey Chronicles.

Brian Wilson Injury: Giants Closer No Longer Needs To Keep Up Appearances

The San Francisco Giants now know that they will be without closer Brian Wilson for the remainder of the 2012 season. The pitcher suffered an elbow injury during his only save attempt and conversion against the Colorado Rockies last week. He will need a second Tommy John surgery and will not return until 2013 -- if he comes back to the Giants, that is.

Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area relayed some Wilson comments in a Sunday column, with a lede that was extremely telling.

Brian Wilson lied to his manager and trainer Thursday in Colorado because he could not accept the idea of "walking off the mound a failure."

Baggarly points out that Wilson attempting to keep up appearances that his elbow was better than it actually was and trying to explain his serious injury as an ankle issue is something that he and the team will have to come to terms with, but now Wilson appears relieved that he no longer needs to keep up the act. Still, he remained unapologetic about his actions.

"That's how I play baseball," he said Sunday. "Push it to the limits."

Baggarly also touches on the fact that 2013 will be Wilson's final year of arbitration eligibility and this injury will almost certainly bring with it a significant pay cut. Still, Baggarly foresees that the team will bring Wilson back next season for at least one more round of his particular brand of crowd-pleasing and nail-biting performances.

For all news and information regarding the San Francisco Giants, please visit McCovey Chronicles.

Fantasy Baseball News: Injury To Brian Wilson Opens Closer Role In San Francisco

Brian Wilson is likely heading for season-ending elbow surgery, opening up a heralded closer's job in San Francisco. Those who play Fantasy Baseball know how valuable saves can be, especially when they come from the waiver wire. So with Wilson on the mend and manager Bruce Bochy looking for a new closer, who should you be looking to pick up in your leagues?

There are quite a few options that San Francisco could go with. The most obvious guy would be set-up man Sergio Romo, but the club has always viewed him as an eighth inning guy. Romo already has some fantasy value given his incredible numbers, but you really shouldn't expect too many saves. Bruce Bochy is pretty stubborn with his managing methods and a change to Romo seems unlikely.

Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt are both proven left-handed relievers capable of pitching in the late innings, but unless numerous lefties are expected to come up in the ninth, it seems pretty unlikely that Bochy would have either of these two out there in the ninth.

This brings us to Santiago Casilla, who should be the guy you target in Fantasy Baseball. Casilla has been stellar with the club since coming over from Oakland in 2010, working 107 innings with an ERA of just 1.83. His strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 2-to-1 is not stellar, but he has the stuff to keep hitters from squaring up his pitches. Along with Romo, who should probably already be in your bullpen anyway, go pick up Casilla and monitor his usage in the coming weeks.

For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles.

Brian Wilson Injury: Giants Closer Talks Surgery, Pitching Through The Pain

The loss of Brian Wilson to season-ending elbow surgery will be a big one for the San Francisco Giants to overcome. Not only do they lose their proven closer, but they also are left scrambling for other options for the ninth inning. While manager Bruce Bochy has relievers capable of serving in the closer's role, it shortens up his list of potential options for all of the other innings once the starting pitcher departs.

Wilson, understandably distraught, took some time to meet with the media and discuss his arm injury. Here are a few of the snippets, courtesy of The Mercury News.

On how he's handling the news:

I'm fine. I'm not down at all. The likelihood is, yeah, the season's over with. I'm getting a couple more opinions, but we all know what structural damage is, and the likelihood of me throwing again this year is minimal. I've obviously prepared for a different view of the game. I have an opportunity now to be a better teammate and watch other stories unravel and be more of a student of the game. I still have a lot ot learn and I still have a lot to teach. By now stretch of the imagination is my journey over with here. This is just a mild bump in my road. It's never been easy when I've pitched, or lived. So this is an opportunity for me to get a better arm, you know? How is that disappointing? I get to throw harder. I like it.

Do not expect Wilson to sit around and mope as he recovers, though:

I like my odds to become more involved in the community. Kruk and Kuip better watch out, because I'll be upstairs in the booth. I may announce some games, maybe win an Emmy.

And on when he knew something was seriously wrong:

Yeah, you can tell what pitch didn't work well on film or on the walk behind the mound. It felt like tennis elbow after that. But I was still able to finish the inning and my mindset was, `OK, if it's inflammation, get out of your mess. If this is season-ending, your last pitch is going to be preserving Bumgarner's win, and not walking off the mound a failure. That's just how I pitch. I don't care how painful it is.

Brian Wilson is a beloved member of the Giants for many reasons, but his team-first attitude may be the most likable thing about him (other than The Beard, of course). With some hard work and a little bit of luck, the club can expect to have their closer back some time around the start of the 2013 season.

For more on Wilson and the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

VIDEO: Sergio Romo Says Brian Wilson Is 'Irreplaceable'

Brian Wilson Injury: Elbow Has 'Structural Issues,' May Require Surgery

Brian Wilson appeared to injure his elbow on Thursday against the Rockies. Now the Giants closer may be facing surgery.