A's Top Prospect Comes Out Swinging

Jason Burke | Apr 12, 2024

RockHounds shortstop Jacob Wilson misses the ball as Hooks runner Chad Stevens slides onto second on / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY

When the Oakland A's selected Jacob Wilson with the sixth overall pick in last year's MLB Draft, he was seen as a safe, under-slot pick for the franchise. The way he has hit in pro ball has been nothing short of outstanding.

Last year the 22-year-old spent most of his time in High-A Lansing, playing in 23 games. He went 28-for-88 (.318) with a .378 OBP, nine doubles, and a home run. His contact-heavy approach served him well, and led to just ten strikeouts in 99 plate appearances.

While the season is extremely young, Wilson has started the 2024 season off with a bang in Double-A Midland. Last night with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, he unloaded on a pitch and sent it over the fence in left for a bases-clearing, go-ahead grand slam. He finished the night 4-for-5 with six RBI, a double, and two stolen bases.

Look at the boys in Midland! Jacob Wilson is having himself some kind of night.

Bob Hards on the call: pic.twitter.com/uoGYrCbJB7

— Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (@jgoldstrass) April 12, 2024

After that performance he is now 9-for-22 (.409) on the young season with a .435 OBP. While it's much too early to declare this a win for the A's scouting department, if he keeps this up, he should start opening some eyes as he climbs towards the big leagues.

Wilson is seen as more of a high floor prospect than a high ceiling guy, meaning that he projects to be a solid player for a number of years, but not necessarily an upper echelon player. For Oakland fans, think of someone steady like Mark Ellis, a steady presence in the lineup and on the field.

With some progress with the bat, Wilson could go from the No. 63 prospect in baseball to somewhere closer to the top-40, or even higher.

Again, it's still very early in the season so it's not wise to make any hard declarations on such small sample sizes, but when a player starts off scorching hot, it makes you take notice.