St. Louis Cardinals’ 2016 Top Prospects: #19 Jacob Wilson

The St. Louis Cardinals almost lost this prospect in December, but the power hitting second baseman will be looking to improve next season.

The next prospect in our St. Louis Cardinals‘ Top Prospects series is a good player who with a little more success at the minor league level could find himself with the big club sooner rather than later. However, this prospect has struggled recently with getting the bat on the ball.

Jacob Wilson narrowly avoided going to another organization in December, as he was eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft. The perspective of the Cardinals to in fact not protect Wilson is interesting, it is telling to how they view him in regards to his potential with the team.

So, let’s take a look at what we know about Wilson.

#19 Jacob Wilson 2B/3B

Season Stats:

Scout Grade: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Analysis: I am down on Wilson more than most. There’s no doubt that there is some power in his bat, but he struggles to make consistent contact, as is evident by his .231 and .225 averages last season.

Wilson had a strong run playing for Team USA in the Pan-Am games, and if he can bring that production to AAA next season and improve the contact, he could be a player who makes some impact at the big league level next season. I honestly thought Wilson had a better chance to be selected by a team in the Rule 5 draft, but it did not happen.

More from St Louis Cardinals Prospects

• Reflecting on the 2013 Cardinals’ top 30 prospects
• The St. Louis Cardinals’ 2024 rotation needs work
• Cardinals: Moises Gomez hit 39 home runs, could be in St. Louis in 2023?
• Cardinals: These two prospects have the tools to break out in 2023
• Cardinals: Alex Reyes and Delvin Perez should be cautionary tales

One interesting thing about Wilson that I have read is that John Manuel mentioned, that he actually thinks that Wilson will be a useful big league reserve in his career, saying that Wilson’s power is a just a “tick above average”.

Being that he is an infielder with power, Wilson will continue to have some value and may warrant a look at the big league level for either the Cardinals this coming season. I personally would like to see a little more consistency out of the second baseman before he comes up to the big leagues in a limited role.

However, if Wilson does come up at some point he could add to the lack of a power threat off of the bench that this team has had, and would be a good option to back up Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong. His 50 grade fielding is decent enough to be a big league backup, but isn’t anything to write home about.

Roster Prediction: AAA Memphis

I would like to see Wilson spend another season at Memphis before he gets the call up, but if he figures it out and starts making more consistent contact, I would all for him coming up a little earlier.

It would take an injury or two at the major league level to get Wilson up, but as we experienced last year, injuries can come in bunches. So, Wilson in St. Louis next season isn’t the craziest idea in the world.