Could Jacob Wilson be an AL Rookie Of The Year Candidate?
Just two summers ago, the Athletics selected infielder Jacob Wilson with the sixth overall pick out of Grand Canyon University. This past season, the club quickly promoted Wilson to the big leagues after cruising through the A's farm system, hitting .455 in Double-A, and .396 in Triple-A.
For a portion of last season, he served as the A's primary shortstop, which solidified the position after a rotating cast was stationed at short during the first half of 2024. Wilson was injured after just his first big league at-bat, which was good for a single and would miss about a month with a left hamstring strain.
Wilson returned to the team in late August after his IL stint, and after a solid taste of the big leagues, he will be looking to play a full season with the A's in 2025. However, with his impressive minor league stats and a solid campaign in 2024, Wilson could certainly make a case for Rookie of the Year.
It's a stretch for anyone to be considered Rookie of the Year at this point, but with his bat, it might not be too crazy. Sure. there are going to be other contenders like Jasson Dominguez of the Yankees, Jackson Jobe with the Tigers, Roman Anthony in Boston, Cam Smith with the division-rival Astros, and potentially Christian Moore of the Angels.
Wilson has had a great spring training this year, batting .306 with a team-leading four homers, which could also help his early American League Rookie of the Year hopes. He's been one of the best hitters in A's camp this year, along with Lawrence Butler and Miguel Andujar. JJ Bleday is also having a solid camp, mashing three homers of his own.
Wilson has the skill set to have a lot of success at the big-league level, and he showed snippets of those tools in his time in the minor leagues.
Wilson's ability to hit for average has been on display since the moment he entered pro ball. With this young A's squad looking to possibly surprise people, a Jacob Wilson breakout season would certainly help the A's chances at a playoff berth--and maybe even help Wilson's odds at winning a Rookie of the Year award.
I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.