The Oakland Athletics celebrated the beginning of the second half by calling up their top prospect, shortstop Jacob Wilson. Unfortunately for Wilson and the A's, his MLB debut was cut short by a hamstring injury. Wilson was hurt running the bases just after he notched his first career hit. He slapped a double into left field on just the second pitch he saw on Friday night. He scored on Lawrence Butler's triple but trotted home gingerly. Wilson is day-to-day with a left hamstring strain.
“That’s definitely a moment you’ll remember for the rest of your life,” Wilson told MLB.com. “Seeing the ball go over the shortstop and get to first base, you just know all that hard work your entire life paid off. It was a great feeling. … Obviously, it went downhill pretty quick.”
Wilson's hamstring injury is just another thing that has not gone the Athletics' way in their final season in Oakland. They hold the second-worst record in the American League after Friday's loss to the Los Angeles Angels. They are also sporting the worst attendance in the majors, averaging just 7,978 fans per game so far this season. All of this comes to a head just under two weeks before the MLB trade deadline. The Athletics will be sellers, as usual, at this year's deadline to add players of Wilson's caliber to their farm system.
Jacob Wilson a key piece of Athletics' youth movement
The Athletics might have the future face-of-the-franchise in Jacob Wilson. He plays a premium defensive position and hits for average, evidenced by his .401 batting average in 72 minor league games before his MLB debut. The key for the Athletics is to add pieces around Wilson who get them back to the playoffs.
The A's made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons from 2018-20, capping that off with a division title in the 60-game season. Young stars like Marcus Semien, Matt Olson, and Matt Chapman were all traded once it was time for them to sign long-term. big-money extensions. The pieces that the A's got for those players have not brought them back to that playoff-caliber play yet. So what can they do to set themselves up for their Vegas debut?
That answer is very simple: trade Mason Miller as soon as possible. Relief pitchers, especially ones that throw as hard as Miller does, do not traditionally have long careers. With five years of control left, a contender can land the hottest reliever in baseball for their championship run.
If the Baltimore Orioles come calling, the Athletics can surround Wilson with some of the top prospects in all of baseball. The Orioles, who are in first place in their division have three top-15 prospects in baseball. The A's have none, with Wilson checking in at number 50. A Mason Miller trade could fetch two of those three top prospects, infielder Jackson Holliday, infielder Coby Mayo, and catcher Samuel Basallo, and set the A's up for their Vegas debut.
The Athletics avoided the worst-case scenario with top prospect Jacob Wilson's hamstring injury in his MLB debut. In the coming weeks, they will be able to see how he assimilates to the Major League level. In the meantime, they must surround him with young talent to make the team an attractive product when they get to Las Vegas in 2027.
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