A's Jacob Wilson Compared to New York Yankees Legend

A's shortstop Jacob Wilson is set to compete in his first All Star game on Tuesday, being voted in as a starter by the fans over Kansas City Royals' shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Wilson is set to hit ninth in the AL order.

Before he arrived in Atlanta, however, former A's shortstop and current first base coach Bobby Crosby dropped a new comp for Wilson in the San Francisco Chronicle. The 2004 AL Rookie of the Year told the Chronicle said that Wilson reminds him of someone that he used to compete against, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter.

He admitted that it's "crazy" to drop that comp on a guy in his first big league season, but that the two shortstops have a very similar approach--just attacking the right side of the field until you hang a breaking ball that can be lifted over the fence in left.

The entire story is filled with great pieces about the development of Wilson from the coaching staff, and what stands out most to them about how special he is at the plate.

Watching Wilson on a daily basis is a real treat. He's a bit of a throwback with his elite bat-to-ball skills and defiance in the face of strikeouts. He has a strikeout rate of just 7.7%, which ranks third in baseball behind Luis Arraez (2.8%) and Nico Hoerner (7.4%). Wilson also has nine home runs, which is more than Arraez and Hoerner combined.

While Wilson will often get the Arraez comp because of his bat-to-ball skills, when the Padre was 23, he wasn't quite as proficient at limiting his punch-outs, as he finished the 2020 season with a 9.1% rate, and followed that up with a 10.1% the following season. Still outstanding, but not quite where Wilson is at already.

That's why the Jeter comp makes some sense, though nobody is claiming that Wilson's defense is without fault. Crosby laid out his reasoning, and it made sense with how they attack the ball and how they also approach an a-bat each time they step into the batter's box.

So far this season WIlson is batting .332 after a bit of a cold stretch entering the break, while holding a .375 OBP with nine homers, 42 RBI, and 44 runs scored. All that adds up to a 132 wRC+ (100 is league average), which is right there with Fernando Tatís Jr., Bryce Harper and Matt Olson.

He just continues to impress the more you watch him play, and he's going to continue to round out his game as he develops as a big leaguer. People may know him for what he can do with the bat, but he's also one of the nicest players in baseball, and could be a real ambassador for the game in the coming years.

Tuesday's All Star Game will be a great chance to show him off to the baseball-watching world and perhaps they too will fall in love with the A's player with shades of Jeter in him.