The New Kid on the Block: Jacob Wilson

Credit: Instagram.com(@athletics)

Second in hits, third in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and fourteen strikeouts in 241 plate appearances. These are the statistics of the Athletics’ star rookie Jacob Wilson. Wilson has taken the league by storm, and fans are starting to notice, here’s why.

The 23-year-old Californian was drafted in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft after slashing .411/.461/.635 with six home runs his junior year at Grand Canyon University. Wilson would bring his hot bat to the minors. In 2024, across three levels (Rookie, AA, AAA), he slashed.433/.473/.668 with seven home runs. Wilson would make his debut on August 19, 2024, flying through the system in the span of one year.

In 2025, Wilson is slashing .357/.396/.504 with seven home runs in 57 games played. Numbers like this do not just have him in Rookie of Year conversations, but also MVP. If Wilson continues to put up numbers throughout the season, he will be in consideration to win both awards this year.

It will take more pop from the Athletics’ shortstop if he wants to achieve a feat that has only been accomplished by two players in MLB history (MVP and Rookie of Year). Wilson is on pace to hit nearly twenty home runs in 2025, but nonetheless even if he cools down, he is still on pace to have a rookie season for the ages barring a catastrophic setback.

Thank you for Reading!

Elias Meredith (@EAM_55)