Heading into the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft, much consternation surrounded where Grand Canyon University shortstop Jacob Wilson would land, as most mock drafts had the contact-skilled right-handed bat landing anywhere from pick five (held by the Minnesota Twins) through twenty. Ultimately, the contact-skilled right-handed hitting bat was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the sixth selection in the draft, signing an under-slot bonus worth $5.5 million. The Athletics quickly reaped the benefits of their selection, as the skilled infielder ascended through the club’s minor league system, joining the major league team in its penultimate 2024 season in Oakland.
Despite performing at a below-league-average rate in his inaugural season (86 wRC+ over 103 plate appearances), the then-22-year-old showed signs of being a major league regular, posting one of the best strikeout and Whiff rates in baseball. As the club trekked to West Sacramento in 2025, Wilson blossomed into a star, hitting .335/.379/.468 with a 135 wRC+ and earning his first All-Star nod during his rookie campaign. Finding success through a contact-skilled, low strikeout profile, the now 23-year-old is one of baseball’s most transcendent young stars. Interestingly, the Minnesota Twins might have a similarly transcendent young star.
Forty-three selections later, Minnesota drafted Arizona State University infielder Luke Keaschall, a contact-skilled right-handed hitting infielder who sported an elite strikeout rate in college. Sound familiar? Like Wilson, Keaschall also quickly moved through his respective club’s minor league system, making his major league debut less than two seasons after being drafted. However, after suffering a nondisplaced right forearm fracture just one week into his major league career, he has yet to be the beneficiary of an extended opportunity at the major league level like Wilson. However, given how well the Twins’ young infielder has performed in an exceptionally small sample, he appears to be on a similar trajectory as Wilson.
Before fracturing his right forearm, Keaschall hit .368/.538/.526 with a 7.7% strikeout rate and 207 wRC+ over 26 plate appearances. The 22-year-old picked up where he left off after returning to Minnesota on Aug. 5, hitting 455/.455/.864 with a 4.5% strikeout rate and 267 wRC+ over 22 plate appearances. Keaschall has performed at an incandescent clip over his first 48 plate appearances, hitting 114% better than league average with an elite 6.3% strikeout rate. Unless he proves to be the second coming of Aaron Judge, Keaschall’s performance will inevitably dip over a larger sample. However, there is reason to believe he could produce at a rate similar to Wilson over an extended stretch, meaning he could blossom into one of baseball’s best young hitters.
Now, despite being selected in the same draft and earning their major league promotions in a similar timeframe, Wilson and Keaschall’s resemblances extend beyond their mirroring timelines and aesthetics. Right now, there are six right-handed batters in the majors with a swing speed under 68 MPH and a swing tilt over 35 degrees. Those players are the following:
Austin Martin
Leo Rivas
Luke Keaschall
Alan Trejo
Myles Straw
Jacob Wilson
Martin and Keaschall being on this list is an interesting development for Minnesota. However, that doesn’t mean they are similar players necessarily. Keaschall shares a significant number of similarities with Myles Straw, specifically in terms of bat speed and tilt. However, Straw makes contact with the ball at a much deeper point than Keaschall, creating a considerable difference in their batted ball data. Martin, Rivas, and Trejo make contact at similar interpoints as Straw. Martin Rivas, Trejo, and Straw manufacture the extra tilt in their bats because of how deep they receive the ball in their swings. That being the case, these four respective players possess significantly longer swings than Keaschall and Wilson, meaning they are less equipped to catch up to certain high velocity pitches in and up in the zone, as opposed to Wilson and Keaschall.
Now, these four players’ inability to reach pitches Wilson and Keaschall can doesn’t mean they can’t succeed at the major league level. Straw has carved out an eight-season major league career and Martin has impressed since earning a promotion from Triple-A St. Paul. Yet, it does indicate they likely won’t be able to reach the heights Wilson and Keaschall have in their young careers, further evidencing the similarities between the two young hitters. Within the exceptionally niche group of six players Keaschall and Wilson belong to, the two right-handed hitters are most similar to each other, indicating the duo could have similar career trajectories, health permitting.
Given that Wilson and Keaschall possess elite contact tools and zone discipline while also sporting slightly above-average power, they could carve out long-term major league careers while being consistently above-average offensive contributors. Given Wilson’s defensive superiority to Keaschall, there is reason to believe Wilson could provide more value to the Athletics than Keaschall will to the Twins over an extended stretch. Yet, there is reason to believe both players will continue to be transcendent offensive talents who will play key roles in turning their respective clubs into sustainable postseason contenders.