A's select Jacob Wilson, son of All-Star Jack, at No. 6

The A’s have spent the past few years assembling a strong depth of infield talent throughout the system. On Sunday night, that unit was bolstered with the selection of Grand Canyon University shortstop Jacob Wilson as the No. 6 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

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Baseball runs in Wilson’s family. He played his high school ball at Thousand Oaks High School in California, where his father, former MLB All-Star and longtime Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, was the head coach. Jack followed Jacob to Grand Canyon as an assistant coach.

While Jack was known more for his glove during his playing days, he instilled the most important lesson in Jacob’s baseball career: avoiding strikeouts. Wilson, MLB Pipeline’s No. 10 overall Draft prospect and top-ranked infielder, has perhaps the best bat-to-ball abilities in college baseball. He struck out just 12 times in 492 plate appearances over the past two seasons at Grand Canyon.

“We both have very similar parts of our game,” Wilson said of how he compares to his father. “At the plate, we have the same approach. … For me, the whole thing I like making sure I do on a daily basis is having a two-strike approach. I like putting the ball in play and doing whatever I can to help my team win. That’s kind of the unique thing about me, the two-strike approach.”

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Wilson was named an All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2021 during his freshman year, but he’s gotten even better each campaign since. In '22, he finished with a 1.004 OPS as a sophomore before a solid showing in the Cape Cod League and then with Team USA.

This past season, Wilson tapped into even more power at the plate, upping his slugging percentage from .585 last season to .635 in 2023. He also flashed some solid baserunning for the first time in his college career. After stealing just one base over his first two seasons, he swiped eight bags in ‘23.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Jacob,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “We really believe Jacob is a unique player. He has a unique skill in putting the bat on the ball. This is a kid with outstanding defensive skills at shortstop. A kid who spent a lot of time in a Major League clubhouse and around his dad, who taught him the game. When you put it all together, it’s an incredibly exciting package for someone we feel really confident is a Major League player.”

In addition to his father, Wilson cited former Pirates infielder Neil Walker and Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson as players he idolized growing up. When it comes to a player comp, his father threw out another former All-Star and batting champion.

“I would think he’s a little more slender than DJ LeMahieu but kind of the same type of barrel finder,” said Jack. “Good swing. Can use the whole field. Doesn’t get pull happy. He stays short to the ball. He knows his strengths, and that’s what he uses. I think there’s a lot more left to his body. He’s still, I think, a couple of years behind some of these other guys getting drafted. I think that’s maybe a thought process of Oakland that he’s going to fill out a little bit more.

“Defensively, he’s great. He’s got great hands and a really good glove. He better be good defensively, right? That’s what we do. That’s what I worked with him for. We always made defense a priority, and he does a good job.”

Wilson’s contact skills are heralded, while his other tools rank as solid across the board, giving him a shot to stick at shortstop in the big leagues while contributing on both sides of the ball.

The addition of Wilson marks the third time in five years that the A’s have drafted a shortstop with their first-round pick. Others at the position who also rank among Oakland’s Top 30 prospects list include Max Muncy (No. 6), a teammate of Wilson’s at Thousand Oaks High School, as well as Darell Hernaiz (No. 14) and Logan Davidson (No. 22), with the A’s keeping each player versatile by playing them around the infield in the Minors.

“We absolutely see him a shortstop,” Forst said of Wilson. “We saw him play the position really well throughout his college career. I’m not sure there was anybody we saw more this spring. I was at his first game at [Salt River Fields at] Talking Stick, his last game at Hohokam [Stadium] and saw him in between. He can really play the position.”