ATLANTA — He’s a 23-year-old kid.
He still plays baseball video games before he goes to work, and Fortnite when he comes home.
He loves pizza, burgers and a good milkshake.
His name is Jacob Wilson, rookie shortstop for the Athletics of Sacramento.
He also just happens to be the best pure old-school hitter in baseball.
Wilson, who was playing at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix two years ago, will have his coming-out party at the All-Star Game.
He’s the first rookie shortstop to be voted by the fans to start an All-Star game, the youngest A’s player to start an All-Star Game since Vida Blue in 1971, and joins his father, Jack, as the only father-son combination to be All Star shortstops.
“What he’s doing is unbelievable,’ said Kansas City Royals All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. “It’s great seeing a young guy hitting for that high of average. I look forward to talking to him about what he’s doing as a hitter.’
In this world of launch angle and exit velocity, filled with walks, strikeouts and homers, Wilson is the anomaly.
Wilson is hitting .332 with just 26 extra-base hits and nine home runs.
And are you ready for this?
He has struck out just 28 times and walked 20 times in 340 at-bats.
It’s as if Tony Gwynn and Rod Carew, who combined to win 15 batting titles in their Hall of Fame careers, walked through the door.
Gwynn, a career .338 hitter, never struck out more than 40 times in a season during his career, and never walked more than 59 times.
Carew, a career .327 hitter, struck out 62 or fewer times in his last 14 seasons, and never walked 80 times in a year.
So here comes Wilson, the young kid, with an old soul, reminding everyone what baseball used to look like when there were pure hitters in the game.
“I cannot talk hitting with Jacob,’ A’s All-Star DH Brent Rooker said, “because I don’t understand what he’s doing up there. And what he does well, it’s not what I do well. So I can’t relate to what he’s doing at all.
“He just goes up there, he sees the ball, he hits the ball on the barrel, and he gets hits. I absolutely cannot do that.’
So, just how do you get him out, anyway?
“Believe me, we’ve tried everything,’ Seattle Mariners All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh said. “He just has really good zone control. He’s not trying to do too much damage, but he can do damage. He’s just a scrappy guy that is just trying to do whatever he can to get on base.
“It’s impressive what he’s able to do, especially at that young age.’
‘It’s not fair’
Yankees All-Star pitcher Carlos Rodon saw him in the American League clubhouse Monday, stopped him, and moaned about the difficulty of pitching to him.
“I said, ‘Dude, I’m looking at scouting reports on you and it says to throw fastballs up and in because you’re not supposed to have any hard contact.’ I throw a four-seamer up and in, and you hit a double off me. Come on.
“You don’t know what to expect with a guy that has low-miss, and can put up quality contact out there,’ Rodon said. ‘It’s not fair. What do I do with a guy like this? You’re not going to strike him out. So, you’re trying to get a pitch that limits launch or limits exit velocity, and hopefully he gets out. That’s what makes it tough, especially when you have a guy on base, because he’s more than likely to drive that run in because of the ability to put the bat on the ball.
“It’s very different what guys do now.’
Well, refreshing, even.
“It’s a blast to watch, it’s awesome to watch,’ Rooker said. “Just the ability to swing at every pitch, hit every pitch, and get a hit on every pitch, is something that’s unique in our game. And it makes him incredibly valuable.
“That’s why you saw him elected as a starter. It speaks to the amount of success he’s had, the impact he’s had in a short time, and the statement he’s making.’
Wilson’s batting average and hit total is second only to New York Yankees MVP Aaron Judge, and Wilson could become the first Athletic player to hit higher than .321 since former A’s MVP Jason Giambi in 2001. It’s enough to make the great hitters of the past taking notice, delighted that the art of pure hitting is making a return.
“I’ve definitely got gotten a lot of comments from guys,’ Wilson said, “on just wanting to go up there and swing. I want to go up there and be aggressive. That’s what I love doing. I want to hit.
“I want to swing. I never want to walk. I just want to hit and get on base.’
Yep, the same mindset that Carew and Gwynn took throughout their careers, leading them right through the doors of Cooperstown.
It’s similar, as well, to San Diego Padres three-time batting champion Luis Arráez. He’s a career .317 hitter who has never struck out more than 48 times or walked 50 times in a season during his seven-year career.
“That guy hits everything,’ Wilson says of Arráez. “You throw the ball anywhere, and he’ll swing and hit. It’s pretty awesome just to watch, and from a hitter standpoint, you appreciate that. I love watching hitters go up there and just battle, whether its foul off a tough pitch, or just take their base hit the other way. He’s a great example of pure hitting, and he does that every day.’
Certainly, he’s a throwback with hitters today almost as thrilled drawing a walk than getting a hit. It will drive managers nuts watching their power hitter draw a walk with runners in scoring position instead of trying to drive in runs.
“What good is a walk from my power hitter if he can’t run?’ one NL manager told USA TODAY Sports. ‘All he does is clog the basepaths. I don’t understand it.’
Neither does Wilson.
“There’s a lot of guys that do that,’ Wilson said, “that’s part of their game. For me, that’s not the strength that I have. I get up there and get thrown a lot of strikes because I hit. So, when they throw strikes, I go up there and just try to hit them. Some guys just enjoy wanting to walk. Not me. I want to hit.
“To me, batting average should be a stat that matters to every hitter.’’
Who knows, maybe even one day, being a .300 hitter will be considered cool again.
“I can only hope,’ Wilson said.