The Wilson Way: A’s top prospect armed with All-Star dad’s unique approach
Most fathers hope to pass down their finest traits to their offspring. For former Major League All-Star shortstop Jack Wilson, that was putting bat on ball. A lot.
Wilson played parts of a dozen years in the big leagues and retired with a miniscule 11.6 career strikeout percentage. That’s not quite Luis Arraez territory, but the mark of the one-time Pirate, Mariner and Brave might seem tough for anyone to beat. His only son — Jacob Wilson, the A’s top prospect (No. 53 on the overall Top 100) and the No. 6 pick in last year’s Draft — might be up to the task.
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Currently on the injured list with a minor knee ailment, Wilson showed he might be a match for his father when he left Grand Canyon University with an absurdly low 4.4 percent K rate that would make even Arraez jealous. Wilson has just 229 professional plate appearances under his belt, but while racing to Triple-A in his first full season, he’s whiffed just 10 percent of the time. If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, it’s clear Jacob will swing at and hit it.
