A’s officially call up top 2023 draft pick, No. 1 prospect Wilson

A’s officially call up top 2023 draft pick, No. 1 prospect Wilson originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

Athletics top shortstop prospect Jacob Wilson took minor league baseball by storm in a short space of time.

Now the 2023 first-round draft pick will try his luck in the MLB.

The A’s officially called up Wilson, 22, on Friday to start the second half of the 2024 season.

MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos first reported on Thursday that the A’s were set to call Wilson.

Infielder Armando Alvarez was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Wilson on the 26-man roster.

Taken with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft last summer, Wilson rocketed through the A’s minor league system.

After playing three games with the A’s Rookie Level team to begin his professional career last year, Wilson was sent to High-A Lansing, where he hit .318.378/.455 in 23 games.

The A’s challenged the Grand Canyon University product by starting him at Double-A Midland to start the 2024 season. He needed just 22 games to show he was ready for more, as he hit .455/.473/.705 with 13 doubles, three home runs and 19 RBI.

Wilson barely settled down when he moved to Triple-A Las Vegas. In 19 games with the Aviators, he hit .398/.444/.639 with eight doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI.

In the end, Wilson needed just 72 games in the minor leagues to earn his first MLB call-up.

Now the A’s will see if that success can be taken to the highest level.

If all goes according to the A’s plan, Wilson will form a key middle infield with second baseman Zack Gelof for the next few years.

Wilson and Gelof, along with other former top prospects Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler, could become the core of the next great A’s team.