Historic nightmare: Jacob Wilson officially” damaged long awaited records just barely a year of experience” Here are the broken records…
Jacob Wilson’s influence on Grand Canyon baseball was so flawless that it appeared inevitable that he would eventually make it to the major leagues.
Wilson will be appearing on The Show less than a year after making his professional debut. On Wednesday, the Oakland Athletics elevated Wilson, a hot-hitting shortstop, making him GCU’s most recent MLB call-up. He will play six games at home with the A’s starting this weekend against the Los Angeles Angels.
What wonderful news,” remarked Gregg Wallis, head coach of the Lopes. Early in his career, it was quite evident that Jacob would eventually play in major league stadiums. It is amazing how quickly he completed it, and it speaks something about his talent, diligence, and willpower.”
Since Oakland selected Wilson at No. 6 overall in July of last year, tying Mark Mulder’s 1998 selection as the highest draft pick for the team, Wilson, who turned 22 in March, has been lighting up farm-league pitchers. He is the sixth first-round pick from 2023 to reach the major leagues; only one other has made it as far as Triple-A.
Single-A, Wilson attended big-league Spring Training and blasted through Double-A this summer with a .455 batting average and .705 slugging percentage in 22 games for Midland.
As the top-rated prospect in the A’s farm system, Wilson moved to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 8 and earned the call-up despite a knee injury putting him on the injured list for a month.
Upon return to Las Vegas, Wilson went 14 for 27 in his first six games and finishes his Triple-A stay with a slash line of .398/.444/.639 and only three strikeouts in 90 plate appearance.
That plate discipline was a carryover from his stellar GCU career, when the two-time Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and consensus All-American was the hardest player in college baseball to strike out during his final two Lopes seasons (12 strikeouts in 492 plate appearances). In his last ninety-seven at-bats as a Lope, he did not strike out.
Wilson becomes the Lopes’ first MLB call-up since pitcher Jacob Wong last year, but the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is the most anticipated Lopes promotion since Tim Salmon reached the big league in 1992. It took 72 minor-league appearances for Wilson to reach the majors.
“I’m very excited for Jacob and his family and truly believe we will get to enjoy watching him play in the big leagues for a very long time,” Wallis said. “Congratulations to Jacob. We are rooting for you.”
The GCU coaching staff made its earliest scholarship offer ever to Wilson, who committed to the Lopes on the first day of his sophomore year when he was a lightly recruited Thousand Oaks (California) High School player. The son of 12-year MLB infielder Jack Wilson hit .205 in his first varsity season, but Wallis was certain that his bat-to-ball skills and elite defense would translate
Wilson started at third base as a freshman before moving to shortstop and led the Lopes to WAC championships in each of his three seasons, including two NCAA regional appearances. He left GCU as the program’s Division I-era hits leader (224), appropriately coming to the plate each time at GCU Ballpark to his walk-up song, “The Show Goes On.” He will be the Lopes’ 16th major leaguer.
Regarding Wilson’s bat-to-ball ability, A’s manager Mark Kotsay said MLB.com, “That’s not something you teach.” “He has an edge because he can put the barrel on any pitch, anywhere. It’s all over his spray chart, you notice. It’s not as simple as, “Oh, he hits the ball in the air or pulls it on the ground.” It’s present everywhere. That will be beneficial to him on its own.”
