For A's Jacob Wilson, a rookie and All-Star Game starter, the swing is the thing

San Francisco Chronicle​

13-07-2025

ATLANTA — Jacob Wilson already is in some heady company as first the A's shortstop to start the All-Star Game since Campy Campaneris in 1974. Coach Bobby Crosby, himself the AL Rookie of the Year as Oakland's shortstop in 2004, thinks of another great shortstop, though, when Wilson's name comes up.
'I think his hitting is more comparable to Derek Jeter than anything,' Crosby said. 'I know that's a crazy name to drop on a guy who's in his rookie year, but playing against Jeter was like, 'OK, well, he's just going to use the right side and keep using it until you hang a breaker and then he's going to hit it out to left.' Jeter was so good at staying inside the ball, and that's what Jacob does. His swing path allows him to hit it wherever he wants.'
Wilson, the lone rookie starter in Tuesday's game at Truist Park, was hitting over .370 in June before falling back to the .334 mark he took into Sunday's game, still good for second place in the league behind Yankees superstar Aaron Judge.
'Jacob showed up fully formed,' A's hitting coach Mike Aldrete said. 'The coaches don't really have to do much. When a guy shows up and hits .370, your best coaching is to leave him alone.'
What about that comparison with Jeter, the Yankees Hall of Famer? The answer may surprise you:
'The one thing about Jeter was his swing wasn't really that good,' Aldrete said. 'Jacob's is really, really good. Jeter had a kind of a funky swing, but he made it work. And Jacob's got a great swing, period.'
Wilson benefited from having a big-league father, Jack Wilson, who was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger award in 2001 with the Pirates. (They're the first father-son All-Star shortstop duo.)
Jack Wilson had a good 12-year big-league career with Pittsburgh, Seattle and Atlanta, and when he was teaching his son to hit, he had him watch videos of some of the greats: Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. The younger Wilson, though, added a twist of his own, his rocking, twitching set-up that goes still as the ball's delivered and he draws the bat back to start his short, quick stroke. (His long, wavy hair is modeled on his own favorite player, non-dad division, Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.)
Wilson hits to all fields, and he's hitting .320 on breaking balls, .328 on fastballs and .407 on offspeed pitches. It's tough to find a weakness; he bats .407 on sliders, for goodness sake, the best mark in the majors; Shohei Ohtani is second, at .370.
'He's an anomaly in a lot of ways,' said A's DH-outfielder Brent Rooker, a fellow All-Star. 'It's not something that I can relate to at all, because his gifts are things that I don't do well and I don't really understand how he does what he does.
'That's what makes him so special and so fun to watch — it's just elite bat-to-ball skills, elite hand-eye coordination, he controls the strike zone — and even when he doesn't, he's able to make contact with some pretty special skill.'
The short swing is the key, as far as Aldrete is concerned. 'Guys with longer swings have got to start earlier,' he said. 'They have to get the swing going and then hope it's in the right place. Jacob gets to wait, wait, wait, and then just say 'Yeah, that's it,' and that's huge.'
The 23-year-old first knew he might enjoy success in the big leagues when he smacked a walkoff single in the A's 5-4 win over Texas in the final series the A's played at the Coliseum last September. That helped to send Wilson into the winter with a wave of confidence.
'It was my first kind of hype moment,' Wilson said. 'Getting that hit, winning the game for my team — that was really the first moment where I felt like I belonged. I just tried to build off that in the offseason, putting the work in to come back this season the best player I can be.'
That hit also established something of a calling card for Wilson, who has a distinct flair for the walkoff, with two more this season. Of course, when you've piled up 112 hits before the break and have the best average in the league with runners on base (.377), that's a good blueprint for late-game heroics.
Wilson, who beat out the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. for the All-Star start, is the first rookie shortstop in an All-Star Game lineup since Baltimore's Ron Hansen in 1960, and he's the A's first starter since third baseman Josh Donaldson in 2014. He's the first A's rookie ever to start an All-Star Game, and the franchise's youngest player in the event since 21-year-old Vida Blue in 1971. But Wilson's All-Star appearance was up in the air for a few days after he was hit by a pitch in a game against the Braves last Tuesday; he was back in Sacramento's lineup Saturday.
In the past 11 days, Wilson has cooled off some, batting .200. 'That's where the coaching will come in,' Aldrete said. 'There have been a couple of times he's been frustrated, and the one thing I tell him is 'Your hands are really good. Let's get back to that.''
Right before the mini-funk started, Wilson had pulled a homer against the Astros; that's typically when he tends to get a little off his game.
'We were just talking about that, how as soon as he pulls a homer, he doesn't get a hit for a few days,' Aldrete said. 'I was kind of the same way, if I pulled a homer, I'd have it in the back of my mind and go in the tank. I told him, 'Every single time you pull a homer, your next at-bat, hit a ball to right.' Because what happens is you hit a home run, you feel really good and you forget what you're really, really good at.'
As advanced a hitter as he is, Wilson is still learning at shortstop. He and Crosby have worked a lot on improving his first step and he's seeing good results.
'Last year when Willy came up, his first step wasn't that great and he isn't as fast as some other shortstops, but you can make up for that by understanding the hitters and what our pitchers are doing and where you need to be,' Crosby said. 'I've had talks with him about, 'This is what you need to think and this is what you need to do.''
'Bobby is the guy I talk to the most,' Wilson said. 'Bobby was a taller shortstop, like I am, and we've talked a lot about preparation and that first step. I just try my best to catch everything I can and work with the infielders around me.'
If he stays healthy and consistent, Wilson could set some franchise rookie records by the end of the season. Philadelphia's Socks Seybold holds the mark for top batting average (.334 in 1901) and Hall of Famer Al Simmons the most hits (183 in 1924).
'To be able to do the type of things that he does at such a young age is super impressive,' Rooker said, 'and it bodes well for him to have a very, very long and successful career.'