'I cried a little bit': A's top prospect Wilson's debut makes Dad proud

OAKLAND -- As manager of the Greeneville Flyboys in the Appalachian League, a summer collegiate baseball league that works in hand with Major League Baseball, Jack Wilson was writing out his lineup card when his son Jacob Wilson gave him a call on Wednesday afternoon.

Jacob -- rated Oakland’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 50 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline -- had just gotten off the phone with A’s general manager David Forst, who informed him that he would be called up to make his Major League debut on Friday against the Angels. Jacob wanted to have a little fun with his dad before breaking the news, however, so he started the conversation casually.

"He was trying to be all sly about it," Jack said. "He was like, ‘Are you guys going on your road trip?’ I said, ‘Yeah, we leave tomorrow.’ He’s like, ‘Well, you’re not going to make it, because you’re going to Oakland.’ It was pretty cool. I kind of freaked out. I cried a little bit. It was a special moment, for sure. It was awesome."

Instead of heading to Burlington, North Carolina, with the Flyboys for a two-game series, Jack boarded a flight to Oakland to join the large group of Wilson’s family and friends that drove up from Southern California.

Right on cue, Wilson fielded the first pitch of the game, a groundout to shortstop off the bat of Anthony Rendon.

In the bottom of the third, Wilson headed to the plate for his first Major League at-bat -- and promptly cracked a single over the head of a leaping Zach Neto at shortstop. He scored on a Lawrence Butler triple, but injured himself on the play and excited the game in the top of the fourth.

From the time Jacob could hold a bat, Jack -- a former All-Star shortstop with the Pirates and veteran of 12 Major League seasons -- would routinely bring his son onto the field during his playing career for pregame warmups. Those sessions often featured a special batting practice in which Jacob would set himself up in the outfield just before the warning track to receive pitches from his father, allowing him a chance to experience the thrill of hitting a ball over the outfield fence of a Major League stadium.

A few hours before the 6:40 p.m. PT first pitch for Friday’s series opener between the A’s and Angels, Jack was standing on the Coliseum grass in front of the home dugout. He was decked out in A’s gear from head to toe, proudly watching his son prepare to embark on his own big league journey.

"All of it is just amazing,” said Jack. "You look back and you have these memories from when he was a little guy. First time he caught a ball in the air. First time he hit a ball that you pitched to him. It’s all super nostalgic.”

Jack has been there with Jacob at every step of the way. He was Jacob’s head coach all four years at Thousand Oaks High School, then followed him to college as an assistant coach at Grand Canyon University, where Jacob hit .361 with a .977 OPS in 155 games over three seasons.

"It’s pretty awesome being able to have him in my corner," Jacob said of his father. "Growing up, his main thing was to really just have fun playing this game. You grow up playing this as a kid. Obviously, being blessed enough to play at this stage is pretty awesome. But his main thing was to come in each day, no matter how good or bad you did the day before, and just flip a new page knowing you get to play this game again tomorrow."

Jack accompanied Jacob last year at the Coliseum when he signed his first professional contract on July 17 and took the field for a ceremonial pregame workout. Nearly one year to the day, Jacob was back at the same location for his Major League debut after boasting a career .401 batting average through 72 Minor League games.

Admittedly, Jack was a bit shocked by how quickly his son has ascended to this point. At the same time, he noted the quick rises from other players in Wilson’s 2023 MLB Draft class such as Wyatt Langford, Nolan Schanuel and Paul Skenes, all of whom are also now in the big leagues.

"The time thing is just the way baseball is now, especially if you’re a college guy," Jack said. "If you’re ready, you’re ready. He obviously had a really good season up to this point in the Minor Leagues. It’s pretty cool to follow him and have conversations every night after the game and stuff like that."