Jacob Wilson is having the best rookie season in Major League Baseball, but it's easy to have missed it.
There are two things working against Wilson.
For one, he's playing for the Athletics, who are toiling in obscurity in a Triple-A stadium in Sacramento after leaving Oakland.
And the other issue? He's a prodigious singles hitter.
Home runs sell tickets and gain social media engagement. Singles almost feel like they're a pursuit of a bygone era.
But not for Wilson, the son of long-time MLB shortstop Jack Wilson.
The 23-year old Wilson enters Sunday, June 8 with an absurd .370 batting average. He has some pop, having hit eight home runs and 14 doubles. He also has 69 singles.
Wilson is on pace to be the first rookie since Ichiro to top 200 hits. According to MLB, Wilson is on pace for 231 hits.
Only 3 players in the last 60 years have logged 200+ hits in their rookie season.
— MLB (@MLB) June 8, 2025
Will Jacob Wilson be the first rookie since Ichiro in 2001 to reach this feat? pic.twitter.com/4Em1Y2X8v7
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Wilson is a throwback. Only 16 of his 246 at bats have ended in strikeouts. He has walked even less, just 14 times.
He goes to the plate looking to hit the baseball, and he does it exceptionally well.
Don't miss out on him just because of the team he plays for or the way he plays. Wilson is special.
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