Wilson continues torrid rookie pace vs. Orioles
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WEST SACRAMENTO -- Phase 1 of the balloting for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game is now underway, and there is no shortage of superstar shortstops vying for spots on the American League side.
Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson and Bo Bichette are probably the first few names that come to mind for most as starting candidates for the position. If it were up to Athletics starting pitcher Luis Severino, though, the decision would be an easy one: Jacob Wilson.
“He should be the starting shortstop for the American League,” Severino said following Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Orioles at Sutter Health Park. “He’s unbelievable.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay said it best following the announcement of Wilson winning AL Rookie of the Month for May when he referenced the 23-year-old shortstop as “swinging a magic wand” at the plate this season, because his hitting abilities probably qualify as some type of sorcery.
On Saturday, Wilson collected another two hits, including an RBI single in the first inning off Charlie Morton -- a teammate of Jacob’s father, Jack, on the 2009 Pirates -- to bring his season total to 91, which trails only Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (92) for most hits in the Majors.
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Those who follow the A’s closely have witnessed Wilson’s emergence as a budding star. Still, the rest of the baseball world might need to start paying closer attention to what is shaping up to be a historically good year for the rookie:
Wilson is the fastest A’s rookie to reach 90 hits in a season in franchise history at 66 games, surpassing the previous record of 67 games held by Wally Moses with the 1935 Philadelphia Athletics.
Wilson’s .370 batting average this season is second among all MLB qualifiers, trailing only Judge (.390). His .370 average puts him on pace to post the highest by a rookie in AL history, a mark currently held by Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, who hit .350 as an MLB rookie in 2001.
Wilson is on track to become the first A’s player to hit better than .364 in a season since Hall of Famer Al Simmons, who batted .381 in 1930.
Wilson is on pace to collect over 200 hits. Over the last 88 years, the only A’s player with 200 hits in a season is Miguel Tejada with 204 hits in 2002.
“I don’t know how much more I can talk about Jacob,” Kotsay said. “The kid continues to perform at a very, very high level. Nothing [he does] surprises me anymore. … He’s just got a knack to get hits. He did that his first year in pro ball, when he hit like .400 in the Minor Leagues.”
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Wilson hit .401 to be exact across his 79-game Minor League career, which played a large role in his fast track to the Majors to debut last July, just over one year after he was selected sixth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.
It’s not just cheap hits, either. Wilson is getting it done when it counts. Including Saturday’s RBI single, he is now batting .439 (25-for-57) with runners in scoring position this season, which stands as the highest mark in MLB.
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What stands out most about Wilson is his unique batting stance. To describe it as anything other than unconventional would be a challenge. The constant foot movement and bat twitching is not exactly something most youth coaches would teach their kids, yet it clearly works for Wilson, evidenced by his outstanding numbers.
“It goes back to my hand-eye coordination,” Wilson said. “For me, hitting off the machine, machines aren’t always perfect. They throw some pitches that move a lot more than normal BP stuff. So being able to even hit those and just practicing before the game starts to keep the hand-eye coordination going is something that I practice every day.”
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The one concern heading into this season for the A’s regarding Wilson was his durability. He dealt with multiple lower-body injuries throughout last season, leading the A’s to encourage him to add extra muscle this offseason. Wilson adhered to that guidance, and he continues to perform as not only an All-Star hopeful, but the odds-on favorite for AL Rookie of the Year.
“Hopefully, he can continue to do that and stay healthy,” Severino said. “Then we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”