The pandemic changed the path for every player who was in the minor leagues in March of 2020, but only a few have taken a more winding one than Giants shortstop prospect Will Wilson.
Wilson was acquired three months before the sport shut down that spring in a deal better fit for the Oklahoma City Thunder than an MLB offseason. The Giants essentially took on an expiring contract to get a first-round talent, paying the $12 million left on Zack Cozart's deal and then releasing him a month later.
While Cozart ended up being the highest-paid Giant in 2020, Wilson made it to Oracle Park before ever playing in a minor league game for the organization. He was included in the player pool for the summer camp held before the shortened season, which gave him an opportunity few prospects get in their first professional season: Wilson spent that month learning from the best defensive shortstop in the National League, and on this week's Giants Talk podcast, he said that's what stands out most about his unique month with big leaguers.
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"The biggest thing that stuck with me that has translated to in-game success is Craw's philosophy of fielding, and that's just continue to move the feet, keep the glove quiet, field everything with your feet," Wilson said. "That really resonated with me and it kind of carried over and I feel like it's showing in games with just being smooth and the quickness and allowing me to get to more balls."
After watching Brandon Crawford work through drills and sim games for a few weeks, Wilson spent the rest of that summer at the alternate site in Sacramento. Last season, he finally got to debut for the Giants in actual games. The first full season in the minors was a mixed bag.
Wilson started 2021 with High-A Eugene and displayed the consistency and approach that has had Giants evaluators and coaches so excited about his potential. He posted a .837 OPS with 10 homers in 49 games before getting promoted, but the adjustment to a more pitcher-friendly Double-A league was difficult. Wilson had a .587 OPS with five homers in Richmond, an experience that gave him a clear road map for the offseason.
"I've talked to a lot of guys about the jumps they've made throughout their careers and they typically say that one (from A-ball to Double-A) and then obviously when you get to the big leagues, those are the two big ones," Wilson said. "Guys are just more accurate with every pitch they want to throw and they command it. Everything breaks the same way that they want it to and they command the breaking ball a lot more.
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"It's just that and making the adjustments when needed. It took me a little bit longer to make those and I'm still attempting to make those as we speak. It's an adjustment."
Wilson took two key lessons away from his months in Double-A, one that he can focus on off the field and one for games. He said he learned how important it is to prepare your body for a long season so that you don't hit a wall halfway through, and also that he needs to do a better job of staying on breaking balls from right-handed pitchers.
The first one shouldn't be difficult to continue addressing. When Wilson showed up for big league camp last spring, Gabe Kapler made a point of repeatedly noting how much work Wilson had done on his body over the offseason, saying he "looks fantastic."
To work on breaking balls, Wilson has embraced a virtual reality headset that other Giants -- most notably Mike Yastrzemski -- use regularly to improve their pitch recognition. He pulled up the virtual versions of Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander and others over the offseason to see different pitch shapes.
That work is continuing this month in Scottsdale, even though most of the players Wilson worked with in his first visit to Oracle Park are locked out. Wilson is part of the minor league camp that kicked off last month at the organization's new facility near Papago Park, working toward what should be a return to Double-A for the 23-year-old. The Giants have moved Wilson around the field a bit -- he even played outfield in the Fall League -- but he still is primarily a shortstop, working daily on the habits he picked up during a month at Oracle Park that was his first visit of any kind to San Francisco.
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It's been a somewhat odd journey, but Wilson is thrilled with how it all worked out. Two years ago, he placed a call to his agent wondering what it meant that he had been traded so soon after being the 15th pick in the draft. He was assured that it was a huge positive that the Giants went so hard to get him into their organization.
"I just felt really welcomed and then I got here and it has felt like a really good fit," Wilson said. "Everything is clicking and my teammates are great ... I really appreciate what they've done and everything that they're doing constantly to get everybody better."