A's call up No. 1 prospect Jacob Wilson

OAKLAND -- When Jacob Wilson took the field at the Coliseum for a ceremonial workout on July 17, 2023, shortly after signing his contract with the A’s, he spoke with excitement about getting his pro journey started and one day making an impact in the big leagues.

That time is now.

Almost one year to the date from that special day, Wilson, rated Oakland’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 50 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, will be back at the Coliseum for his Major League debut. The shortstop has been called up from Triple-A Las Vegas before Friday’s series opener against the Angels, reaching the big leagues after playing just 72 career Minor League games and batting .438 this season across three levels. Infielder Armando Alvarez was optioned to Las Vegas during the All-Star Break on July 17 to make room for Wilson.

The A’s were aggressive from the jump with Wilson, opting to let him bypass Single-A Stockton and sending him to High-A Lansing after just three games in the Arizona Complex League to start his pro career last summer. He participated in big league camp this spring, then was sent to Double-A Midland to begin his first full season of pro ball.

After tearing up Double-A pitching to the tune of a .455/.473/.705 slash line with 16 extra-base hits in 22 games, Wilson -- who turned 22 in March -- was promoted on May to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he has dominated Pacific Coast League pitching by slashing .398/.444/.639 in 83 at-bats with 33 hits, including four home runs and eight doubles, with 12 RBIs and 22 runs scored. His overall slash line this year is .438/.475/.687 with seven homers, 25 doubles and 34 RBIs in 46 games.

Wilson’s impressive bat-to-ball skills have stood out since his days at Grand Canyon University, where his strikeout rate during his three college seasons was a minuscule 4.4 percent. That attribute jumped out to the A’s coaching staff in Spring Training, and it continues to translate to the professional ranks. Wilson has struck out just 24 times through his first 311 career plate appearances in the Minors, making him the ideal top-of-the-order hitter to set the table for Oakland's middle-of-the-order threats such as Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers and Zack Gelof.

“That’s not something you teach,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said in May of Wilson’s contact skills. “He can put the barrel on any pitch, anywhere, which gives him an advantage. You look at his spray chart and it’s everywhere. It’s not like, ‘Oh, he pulls the ball on the ground or hits it in the air.’ It’s everywhere. That, in itself, will be helpful for him.”