Athletics Extend Jacob Wilson
The Athletics added another long-term piece to their position-player core Friday, extending shortstop Jacob Wilson. Wilson, the runner-up for 2025 AL Rookie of the Year to teammate Nick Kurtz, has signed a seven-year, $70 million extension, the team announced Friday. The deal includes a team option for an eighth year.
Great Rookie Season for Jacob Wilson
Jacob Wilson had a terrific rookie campaign for the Athletics, making him an early favorite to win Rookie of the Year until the rise of Kurtz. He did not strike out until his 34th plate appearance of the season, the first of only 39 strikeouts all year. This came in the 10th game, when Chase Dollander of the Colorado Rockies whiffed him to end the first inning. Coincidentally, this was Dollander’s first major league strikeout. This non-strikeout streak came during a season-opening 15-game hitting streak for Wilson.
Wilson slashed .368/.437/.538 (39-for-106) in May en route to American League Player of the Month honors. Additionally, he had six doubles, four homers, 16 RBI, 11 walks, and 15 runs scored while striking out eight times. A memorable game came on May 13 in his first game at Dodger Stadium — the closest stadium to his hometown of Thousand Oaks. On that night, he went 4-for-5 with two homers in an 11–1 Athletics win. With that performance, he became the 19th Dodgers opponent — and first rookie — to ever notch four hits, with at least two being homers, in the 64-year history of Dodger Stadium.
The fans voted for Wilson to start the All-Star game in July — the first-ever American League rookie shortstop to be voted by the fans to start an All-Star Game in its 95 installments. For the season, Wilson slashed .311/.355/.444 (151-for-486). He had 13 homers, 63 RBI, 27 walks, 39 strikeouts, and 62 runs scored.
Leaderboard Appearances
His .311 average tied Bo Bichette, then of the Toronto Blue Jays, for second in the AL behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (.331). He averaged 12.5 at-bats per strikeout, first in the AL and second in the majors behind Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres (29.5). Additionally, he had the lowest strikeout percentage in the American League, with 7.5% (39 out of 523 plate appearances).
Looking Ahead
Wilson is the fourth Athletics position player to sign a long-term deal in the past 13 months. Two-time All-Star designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker became the first on January 23, 2025, with a five-year, $60 million contract with a club option for 2030. Outfielder Lawrence Butler followed suit on March 10, 2025, with a seven-year, $65.5 million deal with a $20 million club option ($4 million buyout) for 2032. Tyler Soderstrom signed the first extension of the current off-season on December 29, 2025 — seven years, $86 million with a $27 million club option ($2 million buyout) for 2033.
More Oakland Athletics Articles
More MLB Articles
Main Photo:
- Category
-
Oakland Athletics
