Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, the American League Rookie of the Year favorite batting .347, attributes his success to an unconventional training method: playing Fortnite video games before games to sharpen decision-making skills.
The 23-year-old Wilson leads AL shortstops in All-Star voting by over 250,000 votes. He maintains that video games provide crucial mental preparation for at-bat situations requiring split-second processing.
“I am a big believer in video games. It’s fast decision-making strategy. I think that gets me ready for the game, because when you’re in the box, you have to process a lot,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s father Jack, a former MLB shortstop, initially questioned the gaming routine but now supports his son’s approach. Jack Wilson earned recognition as one of the best pingpong players in baseball during his 12-year career, citing similar hand-eye coordination benefits.
Wilson developed his contact-hitting approach in his family’s regulation-sized backyard infield. His father designed specialized drills using a custom bat with a 1½-inch barrel and tennis balls thrown at 85 mph from 45 feet away.
The unconventional training produced remarkable results. Wilson never struck out during his junior or senior high school seasons and recorded just 12 strikeouts in 492 college plate appearances across two seasons at Grand Canyon University.
“I just take strikeouts so personally. It’s the one thing in this game that makes me more mad than anything,” Wilson said.
Wilson currently maintains a 6.8% strikeout rate, second-lowest in MLB behind only Luis Arraez. The Athletics selected Wilson sixth overall in the 2023 draft, and he debuted in the majors just one year and 10 days later.
His success anchors Oakland’s promising offensive core as the franchise prepares for its scheduled 2028 relocation to Las Vegas.
发表回复