Rookie Sensation: Jacob Wilson's Rise to MLB

The (formerly) Oakland Athletics are facing tons of problems, but one of their bright spots is rookie shortstop, Jacob Wilson. After tearing up the minor leagues, Wilson is making his presence felt at the MLB level to start 2025. Here, we will go through the amazing start to Jacob Wilson’s career. 

*Stats are as of 5/1/25  

College 

After graduating from Thousand Oaks High School in California, Wilson didn’t feel ready to head to the MLB yet, so he spent 3 years at Grand Canyon University playing College Baseball. Wilson absolutely tore up college baseball in his first year, hitting .313, but he was lacking power with only 4 home runs. His sophomore season was very different. He was able to triple his home run total to 12 homers and was able to boost his average .358. While these are extremely impressive numbers at any level of baseball, his junior season was really what set him apart from the rest. Wilson’s batting average was .411, which is 98 points above his freshman season average. He slugged .635, and was able to swipe 8 bags. While 8 stolen bases may not seem like a lot, Wilson only stole 9 his whole college career, meaning 8 in one season was impressive. In 620 at-bats and GCU, he hit .361 with 155 RBIs. Given that he played in exactly 155 games (152 started), he averaged an RBI per game. Rather than returning for 1 last season at Grand Canyon, Wilson decided to enter the 2023 MLB Draft. Due to his very impressive college career, most scouts had him projected as a top-10 selection. That ended up holding true, as the (then) Oakland Athletics drafted him with the 6th pick in the first round of the 2023 draft.  

Minor Leagues

Wilson started out in Rookie ball, and the Athletics franchise found out very quickly that he did not belong there. In just 8 games, Wilson’s batting average was .520, and he was getting on base in 58.6% of his plate appearances. He was then moved up to the Lansing Lugnuts, the Athletics High-A affiliate. He stayed there for the rest of his 2023 season, hitting .318 with 9 extra base hits in only 23 games. He would go back to rookie ball for 5 more games to begin 2024, before being shipped out to Midland, to go play on the RockHounds in Double-A. In Midland, Wilson had a ridiculous .455 batting average at a league where some of the top prospects are. His OPS was 1.504, which is a career high at any level, and by over 300 points. This is where many people took notice of Wilson’s abilities, as he was ranked the number 1 prospect in the Athletics farm system. He then got sent to Los Angeles, to go play for the Aviators in Triple-A. At this point, Wilson has established himself as a top-tier prospect, capable of being effective against pitching at different levels. He slashed .396/.448/.705 with 17 RBIs and 9 walks. Then, Wilson got called into Fran Riordan (the Aviators manager) office, and got news that would change his life. Wilson was headed to Oakland, and would join the club for their game on July 19th, 2024. 

Major Leagues

In Jacob’s major league debut, tragedy struck for him. He was playing shortstop and hitting 8th against the Angels, and singled in his 1st plate appearance. He was rounding 3rd base on a Lawrence Butler triple, when he grabbed his hamstring. He was replaced by Brett Harris for the top of the 4th. He was found to have a strained hamstring, causing him to be placed on the 10-day IL. This would prove to be important, as even though he returned for 27 more games, he would still be classified as a rookie for the 2025 season. In those 27 games, he was brought down to Earth after his electrifying start to his career. He hit .250, slugged .315 and reached base 31.4% of the time in the first 28 games of his career. However, he has been extraordinary since opening day. Wilson started off the season on a 15 game hit streak, and didn’t strike out in his first 15 contests either. Wilson’s best attribute is his contact ability. He is amazing at making contact with the ball, which helps reduce his strikeout rate significantly. Wilson didn’t have his first walk until the 25th game of the year, he didn’t even face a 3 ball count until that 25th game. While you may think that he has no plate discipline because of that, it is actually because he is so good at making contact that he doesn’t even let it get there. Wilson was hitting in the 9th spot on Opening Day, but he has been so good that Athletics manager, Mark Kotsay, has moved him up all the way to the 2 hole in their lineup. Jacob’s current batting average is .331, which ranks 7th in the MLB, and 3rd in the AL (min 3.1 PA/game to qualify). Wilson, who is not a power hitter, has already hit 3 home runs, and has hustled out 6 doubles in 30 games to start the season. 

It’s tough to predict the next superstar in any league, but I believe we have found the premier shortstop in baseball. Wilson is my early pick for the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Award, and I think he might even be able to win an MVP one day if he can keep this up. While the Athletics have a lot of holes in their roster, I believe they shouldn’t have to worry about the shortstop position for a long time.