Wilson introduces himself at Double-A in grand fashion
Joe Trezza
"Jacob Wilson, how do you do?!”
That was the greeting from longtime Double-A Midland broadcaster Bob Hards to the A’s top prospect late Thursday night over the airwaves from Momentum Bank Ballpark.
A fitting intro, given how Wilson had just introduced himself to the team in grand style.
In only his fifth game at Double-A, Wilson launched a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of the club’s 8-5 win over host Amarillo at Momentum Bank Ballpark. The dramatic dinger capped a four-hit, six-RBI night for the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 Draft. It also was his first Double-A homer.
It was reflective of the type of offensive impact the A’s hope to see from the No. 63 overall prospect. The son of former All-Star Jack Wilson, Jacob played for his dad at Thousand Oaks High School in California before establishing himself as one of the best pure hitters in the college game during a three-year career at Grand Canyon University. The 22-year-old shortstop enjoyed an excellent pro debut, hitting .333/.391/.475 across 23 games in 2023, mostly at High-A Lansing.
Wilson’s contact ability was otherworldly in college, and he showed more doubles pop than over-the-fence power in his debut last year. But the A’s believe he will grow into more power as he matures and gets stronger, knowing his bat-to-ball skills give Wilson an extremely high floor. Maybe that’s happening in real time, with Thursday’s homer providing a dramatic example of possible things to come.