This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WEST SACRAMENTO – The Jacob Wilson phenomenon is finally getting recognized by the rest of the baseball world.
Competing with no shortage of superstar shortstops in the American League, Wilson stands above them all. The Athletics shortstop was revealed as the leading vote-getter at his position for the AL side in the first balloting update for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game on Monday.
Wilson led all AL shortstops with 562,696 votes, a mark that ranked as the seventh-highest total of any AL player. Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. was second among AL shortstops with 519,984 votes.
“For Jacob to be in that category right now where he’s at, it’s a pretty great accomplishment,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “We’re still a little ways out from running through this finish line. But for a player on the A’s to have that type of national attention, it says a lot about his year.”
The A’s have not had a fan-elected starter to the All-Star Game since third baseman Josh Donaldson in 2014. They haven’t had a starting shortstop in the Midsummer Classic since Bert Campaneris in 1974.
If any player is going to end those droughts, Wilson might have the strongest case by an A's player in quite some time. He entered Monday’s series opener against the Astros at Sutter Health Park carrying a .367 batting average and 97 hits, both of which ranked second in the Majors, trailing only Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (.378, 99 hits).
The reigning AL Rookie of the Month for May, Wilson is currently boat racing his peers as the runaway favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. The 23-year-old shortstop entered play Monday leading all Major League rookies in batting average, hits, on-base percentage (.401), slugging (.513), OPS (.915), runs (39), RBIs (38) and extra-base hits (23), while his eight home runs are second-most among rookies.
"Nationally, he’s being recognized for what he’s doing,” Kotsay said. “In terms of the amount of hits he’s collected and being amongst the best in the game at shortstop right now.”
Brent Rooker, in search of his second career All-Star selection, came in seventh for fan voting among AL designated hitters with 165,126 votes. Tyler Soderstrom, meanwhile, was 14th in outfield voting at 218,444 votes.
Kotsay singled out Rooker as a player who he believes deserves more love on the ballot. Rooker entered Monday hitting .278 with an .847 OPS, 15 home runs and 41 RBIs, leading all primary AL DHs in homers and tied for most RBIs in the wake of Boston’s Rafael Devers getting traded to the Giants on Sunday. Of those currently on the ballot for the position, only Ryan O’Hearn (1.9) had a higher fWAR than Rooker’s mark of 1.7.
“You can look at Rook, too,” Kotsay said. “Rook’s starting to heat up. He’s starting to swing the bat well. The year he’s having right now, I’m not familiar with everyone around the league in the DH spot, but I think he definitely should be talked about as well for the year he’s having.”