Here's one pro baseball player you can believe when he insists he's not using anabolic steroids.

Josh Wilson, the former Mt. Lebanon High School star who was selected by Florida in the third round of the 1999 amateur draft, climbed to Class AAA last summer and has a shot at sitting on a major-league bench this year.

As a 6-foot-1, 160-pound utility infielder.

Steroids? Wilson hardly could be accused of juicing with Florida citrus, much less steroids, with such a body.

But that's the size listed for Wilson by the Marlins, who need someone to replace Mike Mordecai.

Wilson, Derek Wathan and Wilson Delgado (no relation to Carlos) appear to be the main candidates to slide into the open utility spot, although not necessarily in that order.

"I have a much more optimistic outlook on making it to the majors this year," Wilson said this week from Jupiter, Fla.

"It's probably a long shot coming right out of spring, but I know I have some kind of shot. I think the good thing is that by now the guys know who I am."

Wilson, who turns 24 later this month, was 0 for 1 with a walk in his first appearance this spring. His main position is shortstop, but he's working with Marlins infield instructor Perry Hill at both middle infield spots.

The Marlins' Web site identifies him as a "slick-fielding shortstop," which is what you call a prospect who has range and an arm but weighs less than some bat boys.

Wilson doesn't count himself out as a hitter.

"I've been working in the cage," he said.

After being promoted to Class AAA Albuquerque last season, he played in 56 games, hitting .279 with five home runs and 23 RBIs.

If he could come anywhere near those numbers in the majors, Wilson would be a success.

One thing he'll never be is a power-hitting behemoth, especially one built from steroids.

Wilson has a healthy perspective on the steroids issue. He described himself as a purist who would rather see baseball free of banned muscle-building, performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids and human growth hormones, but he's also a realist who knows those substances aren't going away despite testing and publicity.

"I would say there might be a little bit of a drop because of those things, but there are so many ways to get around the testing," said Wilson, adding that he has had a handful of teammates who used steroids at each of his pro stops, despite more rigorous testing in the minor leagues than in the new, stiffer major-league policy.

"We're going to get tested fairly soon," he said. "Nobody's dumb enough to come into spring with something in their system -- at least I hope they aren't."

For Wilson, the skinny on steroids is this: He believes they can make baseball players bigger and stronger with increased bat speed, although he doubts it can improve things such as hand-eye coordination. He'll never know for sure.

From Wilson's experience, the players who turn to steroids give varying reasons. Some, he said, are can't-miss prospects who want a chance at greatness. Others are marginal prospects who see steroids as their best or only chance to get to the majors.

"Some guys don't do it for baseball so much as they just want to look good," Wilson said.

Although Jose Canseco's tell-all book and the investigation surrounding California lab BALCO have concentrated the steroids spotlight on baseball in recent months, Wilson is smart enough to know that football and other sports aren't absolved.

"I can't imagine that steroids aren't a part of every other major sport," he said.

Wilson was surprised that steroids weren't an all-consuming topic at the start of spring training.

"There's actually a lot less attention on it than I thought," he said. "I thought they would start talking to us, telling us how to address it.

"We [players] have talked about it a little. There are a couple of guys who have bought Canseco's book. I got a chance to see a couple of chapters. It's pretty wild stuff."

He figures the Marlins don't register high on the steroids topic because they're a young team that lacks the hulks and big names who draw speculation. One thing he knows for sure -- no modern-day Canseco is coming near him with a needle.

"I'm not going to take steroids," Wilson said. "I'm just going to try my best to make it to the major leagues."

It's easy to enjoy the mammoth home runs and remain ambivalent about steroids, and it's possible that steroids would enhance Wilson's chances of making it to the majors or of sticking when he does.

Still, Wilson's conviction is admirable. Perhaps, he should try french fries.