PHOENIX — Update 10:16 p.m.
It was a night of highs and lows for former GCU infielder Jacob Wilson.
The highs: Wilson made his MLB debut with the Oakland A's and got his first hit.
The low: Wilson was removed from the game after appearing to injure his hamstring while rounding third base in the third inning.
Wilson's night got started early, as he fielded a grounder from Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon and threw Rendon out at first for the very first out of the game.
Wilson would get to show off his glove again in the top of the third inning when Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel hit a grounder in his direction. Wilson fielded the ball, touched second base himself and then threw to first for a slick 6-3 double play.
Then, in the bottom of the third, in his very first at bat, Wilson got his first MLB hit in his first at-bat, a single to center, which brought cheers from his dad, former Major Leaguer Jack Wilson.
However, two at-bats later, after Lawrence Butler hit a two-run triple, Wilson injured his hamstring while rounding third base. He still scored and tried to go back out onto the field for the top of the fourth inning, but was unable to. The A's removed him from the game with a left hamstring strain.
Despite Wilson's MLB debut being cut short, Oakland manager Mark Kotsay was still impressed by what the former Lope showed on the field.
"I hadn't seen him really play that much other than spring and the kid can hit," Kotsay said on the A's postgame broadcast. "I mean, no surprise there that he steps up in his first at-bat and of course gets a base hit. So, I mean, the kid's a special player. I'm sure he was pretty excited to get out there. And I'm not exactly sure what his injury was, but I'm sure it was part of just wanting to play hard in his debut. So, hopefully he's okay and hopefully he can get back out there."
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On July 9, 2023, Grand Canyon infielder Jacob Wilson was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the No. 6 overall pick in the MLB Draft.
Just more than one year later, after dominating the minor leagues and rising his way up to No. 1 in the A's prospect rankings, Wilson will make his MLB debut when the A's take on the Los Angeles Angels in Oakland on Friday.
Wilson is one of the most decorated GCU baseball players ever. He was a consensus All-American in 2023, the program's highest draft pick ever, and three-time first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honoree and was the 2023 WAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Wilson won WAC regular season championships with the Lopes in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and helped lead the team to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in both 2021 and 2022.
He was also known as one of the hardest players to strike out in the nation as he struck out in just 5% of his at-bats at GCU.
During his final season at GCU, Wilson led the team in batting average (.411) and triples (4). He tied for the team lead in runs batted in (61) and slugging percentage (.635).
After he was drafted, Wilson played just three games for Oakland's Arizona Complex League team before being moved to the Lansing Lugnuts, Oakland's High-A affiliate.
In 23 games in Lansing, Wilson hit .318 with nine doubles, one home run and eight RBI. He only struck out 10 times in 88 at-bats.
He was invited to Oakland's spring training camp in Mesa this year and started his season in the Arizona Complex League once again. However, he didn't stay there long, as he only played five games before being promoted to Oakland's Double-A affiliate, the Midland RockHounds. He played 22 games with Midland, hitting .455 with 13 doubles, three home runs and 19 RBI before being promoted once again to Oakland's Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.
Wilson had played just 19 games with the Aviators, hitting .398 with eight doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI before getting the call-up to the majors.
In total over his minor league career, Wilson played in just 72 games, with a batting average of .401, on-base percentage of .455 and slugging percentage of .613. He hit 36 doubles, eight home runs and had 47 RBI.
In 284 at-bats, he only struck out 24 times (8.5%).
Wilson will bat eighth for the A's in his debut and play shortstop.
Wilson will be the 16th GCU player to play in MLB, according to Baseball Almanac.
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