This young A’s player is emerging as a potential star in West Sacramento
Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson is establishing himself as one of the top rookies in Major League Baseball through the small sample of 13 games.
By getting a hit in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres, Wilson extended his hitting streak to 13 games to open his first full season after appearing in 28 games in 2024. He’s hitting .396, playing strong defense and building on high expectations as he follows his father’s footsteps.
“He knows my swing better than me,” Wilson said of Jack Wilson, his father who played in 12 big league seasons from 2001 to 2012. “He’s seen it my entire life. He built when I was younger on the stuff that I do, and just being able to make adjustments accordingly.
“But being able to have him in my corner is something that I definitely appreciate. ... He did a really good job of always taking at least one positive out of the day, no matter how the game goes.”
Wilson came into Wednesday second in the Majors with 18 hits while his .400 batting average ranked third. He’s struck out just twice on the season and hasn’t taken a walk. His ability to put the ball in play is considered one of his best offensive attributes.
“We’re going to continue talking about Jacob, right? He’s got the elite bat-to-ball skills,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “The power we’ve talked about is something he’s shown this year that he really didn’t show last year.”
Wilson has two home runs and three doubles in 48 plate appearances after having no home runs, two doubles and a pair of triples in 92 at-bats last season.
He said he worked in the offseason to get stronger, which has paid early dividends at the plate. With his first career homer, Wilson earned the distinction of blasting the A’s first home run at Sutter Health Park, doing so in the March 31 home opener vs. the Seattle Mariners.
His current partner in the middle of the infield, second baseman Max Muncy, played with Wilson in high school, and has acknowledged that his game has changed as he’s gotten to the Majors. Wilson was drafted sixth overall by the A’s in 2023 while Muncy was the 25th overall pick in 2021. They were teammates at Thousand Oaks High School just outside of Los Angeles.
“It’s a completely different game than it was in high school, for him,” Muncy said. “His tools — bat to ball is always there ... but he’s got a little more power. His arm was already strong in high school but it’s getting better. He’s getting more flexible. When he makes plays, his body’s all over the place. I think he’s probably grown into his body a little bit.”
Wilson’s glove has shown up all season. He scooped a low throw from pitcher Noah Murdock to turn a double play in the seventh inning. He has not committed an error in 40 games at shortstop since coming into the Majors midway through last season.
Wilson extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the second inning. It’s the longest season-opening hitting streak over for an A’s hitter over the last 15 years.
And his 19 hits during the first 13 games were the most since his manager Mark Kotsay had 20 in 2005. The 13-game hitting streak tied Ryan Sweeney in 2010, Jermaine Dye in 2004 and Carney Lansford for the second longest streak for an A’s hitter to open a season. It trails Stan Javier, who had a 17-game hitting streak in 1994.
According to ESPN, Wilson as of Wednesday had the second-best odds to win American League Rookie of the Year behind Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell.
The A’s on Tuesday scored the game’s first run, marking the first time they had scored first in a game at Sutter Health Park, when Luis Urías drove in Shea Langeliers on a sacrifice fly to center field. Langeliers was initially ruled out but the A’s challenged and the call was overturned.
The Padres got their runs on an RBI single from Oscar Gonzalez in the third inning and a sacrifice fly from Gavin Sheets in the fifth. San Diego used five pitchers who combined to allow just two hits, with one coming from Wilson.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 4:06 PM.
