For Wilson, Dad is never more than a phone call away

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST SACRAMENTO – Whenever you see Jacob Wilson on a baseball diamond, you can bet his father, Jack, is somewhere in the vicinity.

Jack, a former 12-year Major League veteran, has always been there for Jacob’s baseball journey. It began in the backyard of the Wilson family home in Thousand Oaks, Calif., when the two would often engage in competitive games of stickball, then moved on to Little League and continued at Thousand Oaks High School and Grand Canyon University, with Jack coaching Jacob at both stops of his amateur career.

These days, you’ll likely find Jack perched in a seat above the A’s dugout, either at Sutter Health Park or whatever road ballpark the team is playing in. The level may be higher, but the feeling he gets watching his son as a big leaguer isn’t much different from those days in the backyard.

“I still feel the same way,” Jack said. “I feel like I’m going to one of his Little League games, in a sense. I’m Dad and just wishing the best for him and want him to have fun. … He loves baseball, so when he goes out there, he’s just fun to watch and cheer for. You feel bad for him when he’s going wrong, and amazing for him when he’s going good.”

There isn’t much that has gone wrong for Jacob in his young Major League career. Last season, he was an All-Star, tied for second-highest batting average (.311) in MLB behind only Aaron Judge and finished runner-up to teammate Nick Kurtz for AL Rookie of the Year. Whenever something is feeling off, though, Jack, an All-Star shortstop himself with the Pirates in 2004, is always there as a second set of eyes to give advice. Just don’t expect him to be the one to reach out first.

“He has to bring it out of me, because I know how it is,” said Jack. “Baseball is Groundhog Day. You wake up every day and you try to feel what you’re doing to be successful and help your team out. Sometimes, you don’t need someone in your ear telling you, ‘You should do this.’ When he feels something and he wants to ask me about it, I usually have some sort of idea of how I could help.”

To prepare for that inevitable text or phone call, Jack makes sure to watch each and every one of Jacob’s at-bats with a keen eye. It’s easier for him to do so when watching live at the ballpark. When he’s at home, however, Jack struggles to contain his emotions while watching his son on TV.

“I get really nervous for him and stressed,” Jack said. “When I’m [at the ballpark], I’m great. But on TV, I’m horrible. I’m in another room. I’ll follow it on Gameday and go back and watch once I know what happened.”

Jacob appreciates the space to carve out his own path, but even as he has blossomed into one of the top young shortstops in baseball, the calls to his father remain as frequent as they’ve ever been. He’ll often reach out to Jack after games to go over any hitches in his unorthodox batting stance or swing, something Jack helped him shape from a young age.

“He’s always either a text or a phone call away after games,” Jacob said. “Whatever I’m not seeing that he’s seeing going on with my swing, he’s always there to have that conversation. It’s awesome to be able to have someone who has been there and done that in your corner that you can talk to at any time. I’m just super grateful to have him one phone call or text away.”

It really wasn’t that long ago that Jacob was a child decked out in a Pirates hat and oversized Pirates jersey alongside his mother, Julie, in the stands at PNC Park to watch Jack play on Father’s Day and plenty other nights during the season. This Father’s Day, it’ll be Jack and Julie watching Jacob take the field for the A’s.

“Obviously, your entire life playing this game, you look up and see your parents up there,” Jacob said. “In my case, my Dad was always on the field with me just because he coached me a lot. But it’s so cool to see the support your parents give you each and every day. They’ve been around the game for a long time and they understand it. I grew up in the stands with my Mom watching him play. Now, they’re out there in the stands watching me play. It’s awesome.”