Wilson played his high school ball at Thousand Oaks High School in California, playing for his father, former big league All-Star Jack Wilson. Jacob went on to Grand Canyon University and was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2021. He was even better in 2022, finishing with a 1.004 OPS as a sophomore before raising his profile even more over the summer with a solid stint in the Cape Cod League and then Team USA.
Wilson, whose dad followed him to Grand Canyon and is an assistant coach this season, has an intriguing combination of baseball IQ and tools. He might be one of the better pure hitters in the class, one who consistently finds the barrel and struck out just seven times in 275 plate appearances as a sophomore. He’s starting to tap into his power more consistently as well, smashing 12 homers and slugging .585 in 2022.
A fringy-to-average runner, Wilson has the skills to stick at shortstop, with good actions, range and an above-average arm. He might not have the pure power profile should he have to slide over to third, where he played as a freshman, but scouts feel he’ll hit plenty for the hot corner. That makes him a prime candidate to go near the top of the first round.
The son of former All-Star Jack Wilson, Jacob played for his dad at Thousand Oaks High School in California and then headed to Grand Canyon University for college ball. He immediately established himself as one of the better pure hitters in the college game, producing better numbers as he progressed, including a strong showing for Team USA. After hitting .412 with a 1.096 OPS as a junior, he became the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 Draft and hit a combined .333 while jumping on a faster track by advancing to High-A Lansing during his pro debut.
Wilson’s knack for contact is otherworldly, and he left Grand Canyon with an absurd 4.4 percent strikeout rate (2.3 percent in 2023). That carried over to his pro debut, when he struck out in just 9.9 percent of his plate appearances. There has been some concern over the lack of impact and lower exit velocities, but the A’s are not worried and feel that as he adds strength and learns he can use his incredible eye to work better counts, he’ll naturally drive the ball more as he swings at more heart pitches.
While he’s an average runner, Wilson’s hands, actions, instincts and IQ, not to mention his above-average arm, all point to a long-term future at shortstop. He has an extremely high floor because of his contact skills and steady defensive presence, and a step forward with offensive impact could move him to another level.
Wilson played his high school ball at Thousand Oaks HS in California, playing for his father, former big league All-Star Jack Wilson. Jacob went on to Grand Canyon University and was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2021. He was even better in 2022, finishing with a 1.004 OPS as a sophomore, raised his profile even more over the summer with a solid stint in the Cape Cod League and for Team USA, then continuing to rake as a junior in 2023. With his name being mentioned all over the first round, he landed at No. 6 overall with the A’s, who signed him to an under-slot bonus of $5.5 million and quickly got him to full-season ball during his pro debut.
Wilson, whose dad followed him to Grand Canyon and was an assistant coach this past season, has an intriguing combination of baseball IQ and tools. He might be one of the better pure hitters in the class, one who consistently finds the barrel and struck out in just 4.4 percent of his plate appearances during his college career. While there has been some concern over his ability to impact the ball, he did tap into his power some, smashing 12 homers and slugging .585 in 2022 and .635 this past spring.
A fringy-to-average runner, Wilson has the skills to stick at shortstop, with good actions, range and an above-average arm. He might not have the pure power profile should he have to slide over to third base, where he played as a freshman, but the contact and pitch recognition skills should enable him to reach the big leagues in a hurry regardless of where he plays defensively.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here