Athletics Intrigued By What Jacob Wilson Could Become
While the Athletics like what they see in Jacob Wilson right now, they dream about what the 22-year-old shortstop will be once he puts on his “man strength.”
That is the term that Athletics broadcaster Shooty Babbitt and other scouts use to indicate the muscle mass that comes with maturity—and a whole lot of time in the weight room.
The weight room is just where the A’s want the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Wilson to spend a good deal of time as he blossoms.
Oakland drafted Wilson sixth overall out of Grand Canyon last year, mostly for his potential plus hit tool. The question was whether he could pair that with some power.
“He’s already put on some strength, and he’s going to put on more,” A’s hitting coordinator Jim Eppard said. “I’m a firm believer that if you’re not super strong and a line-drive hitter, when you get stronger, those gap balls are going out of the park.”
Eppard predicts that Wilson will reach average or possibly plus power as he progresses.
“I love his approach. He uses the whole field,” Eppard said. “He’s more of a line-drive hitter. He’s kind of (Derek) Jeter-like in that he stays inside the ball and takes it to right field.”
Wilson grew up in Thousand Oaks, outside Los Angeles, before heading to GCU. In three seasons in the Western Athletic Conference he hit .361 with 61 walks and 31 strikeouts in 155 games. That includes just five strikeouts as a junior in 2023, when he hit six home runs.
Wilson hit .318/.378/.455 for High-A Lansing in his pro debut. He struck 10 extra-base hits and had 10 strikeouts.
“I think a lot of it is that he just doesn’t like striking out,” Eppard said.
While Wilson is big for a shortstop, Eppard said that he excels at the position. Part of the polishing process will be to improve his basestealing and running acumen.
“He’s a super kid,” Eppard said. “He comes to the cage with a smile on his face. He shows fire on the field. He’s competitive.”
A’s ACORNS
— West Coast crosschecker Scott Kidd was named the winner of the Dick Bogard scout of the year award, presented by the A’s for excellence in scouting. Kidd came back from a heart-lung transplant in 2019 to continue to demanding work of scouting.
— Eppard said that 2022 first-round shortstop Max Muncy showed significant improvement during the 2023 season. He hit to all fields rather than focusing on pulling the ball.
