Jacob Wilson on His MLB Debut

Jason Burke | Jul 19, 2024

RockHounds shortstop Jacob Wilson misses the ball as Hooks runner Chad Stevens slides onto second on Opening Night at Whataburger Field on Friday, April 5, 2024, in Corpus Christi, Texas. / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY

In just a couple of hours, Jacob Wilson will make his big-league debut with the Oakalnd A's, just over a year after the club took him with the sixth overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Back in April when the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators were in Sacramento, we talked to Wilson's former high school teammate, Max Muncy, another top prospect in the A's organization, about what the biggest differences he's noticed in WIlson's game since they were teammates at Thousand Oaks HS.

"I think he had a alot of the same tools in high school, but it's just tough when you're not as big." Wilson is now currently listed at 6-foot-2, and while he has always been tall, Wilson said that he was super skinny and didn't have a lot of meat around his bones. Muncy also said of his former teammate, "The bat to ball was there, but I think now with the bat to ball, it's more gap-to-gap instead of a little more on the ground."

Wilson's calling card in college and all the way through the minors has been his ability to make contact. Since 2021, his first year of college, Wilson has struck out just 63 times in 264 games, spanning 1,157 plate appearances, or a 5.4% rate. In the minors this year, he has struck out 13 times in 200 plate appearances, which has upped his strikeout rate to 6.5%.

Only two qualified hitters in MLB have struck out less than ten percent of the time: Luis Arraez (5.8%) and Steven Kwan (8.1%). Not only has Wilson continued to put the ball in play, but he's also hit a ridiculous .401 with a .445 OBP and eight homers in 72 minor-league games.

The son of former big-leaguer Jack Wilson, Jacob didn't feel like "a guy" until he reached college. "I think once I got to college is when I started putting up some good numbers, started growing into my body a little bit.

"I think that my sophomore year of college is really when I started to feel like I can do this. I can do this thing for sure. Being able to make that Team USA team that summer. That entire process was just kind of huge for me. Gave me some hope just to be able to go out there and just know that I can do this."

Wilson also reflected on making his debut at the Oakland Coliseum, "This is where I first stepped on the field as an Oakland Athletic. I signed my contract here, took BP, took ground balls with the guys. To be able to be here today, to debut in the stadium, it's going to be a pretty special day for sure."