Jacob Wilson

School: Grand Canyon Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.3
BA Grade:55/High
Tools:Hit: 60. Power: 40. Run: 50. Field: 55. Arm: 55.

Wilson is the son of 12-year MLB shortstop and all-star Jack Wilson, who joined Grand Canyon’s coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 2023 season. Wilson, like his father, is a talented shortstop who was named to the All-WAC first team in each of his three seasons with GCU and also played with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team in 2022. Elite contact ability is the headlining trait for Wilson, who has hit .361/.419/.558 with a 4.4% strikeout rate in 155 collegiate games. During the 2023 season, Wilson made contact at a 94% overall rate. Against fastballs and on pitches inside the strike zone, that contact rate was up to 97%. Wilson’s elite bat-to-ball skills means he is able to get away with chasing pitches out of the zone at times, and at the next level he might need to become more selective, as he doesn’t have the sort of power to get away with expanding his strike zone. A 6-foot-3, 190-pound hitter, Wilson has below-average raw power, and after hitting 12 home runs during the 2022 season, was down to just six homers in 2023. He has flashed surprising pull-side pop at times, including with a wood bat with USA Baseball, but his lean frame and underlying exit velocities don’t suggest anything more than a 40-grade power hitter in pro ball, even with future strength gains. Wilson is just an average runner and has never been much of a basestealer, but is praised for his sure-handedness and defensive actions at shortstop. He’s an above-average defender at the position with above-average arm strength, which should help alleviate any concerns about his power potential. Wilson will get critiqued for his lack of power, but his outlier contact ability with a safe shortstop profile should get him selected among the top 15 picks.