OAKLAND, CA: No. 1 shortstop prospect Jacob Wilson is being called up by the Athletics, according to Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The sixth-round selection from the previous year has already put up amazing stats in his first full professional season.
Armando Alvarez was optioned by Oakland yesterday to make up one of the two openings on the 40-man roster. No matching move is necessary. Wilson is the fifth player selected in the first round in 2023 to make it to the major leagues. Hurston Waldrep, Paul Skenes, and Wyatt Langford had their season debuts there, while the Angels moved Nolan Schanuel there last summer.
Wilson convinced the A's that he's ready for an MLB arm look after just 72 minor league games. After a stellar collegiate career at Grand Canyon University, the right-handed Wilson, the son of former All-Star Jack Wilson, was selected by the A's.
In 49 games as a junior, Wilson hit .412 with 19 walks and an absurd total of five strikeouts. Even though he wasn't facing pitchers of the same caliber that Dylan Crews and Langford did in the SEC, evaluators have always believed that his contact abilities would translate.
In just 22 games, Wilson blasted past Double-A opposition, hitting 13 doubles and three home runs. In 93 plate appearances, he hit .455/.473/.705, earning a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas in May. After spending a brief period on the disabled list, he has made up ground, and since returning in June, he has not stopped.
Wilson hit .398/.444/.639 in 19 Triple-A games with seven walks and just three strikeouts. He hit eight doubles and four more home runs. After a brief rehab assignment in rookie ball and the top two minor league levels, his eye-popping hitting line in 200 plate appearances this season is .438/.475/.687.
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