Jack Wilson spent nine of his 12 seasons in the major leagues playing shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he was a defensive whiz known as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2004. When he’s not watching his son, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, Jack works as an infield instructor with Team USA Baseball’s national program. He visited the Pirates’ radio booth during their series at the Arizona Diamondbacks and shared his thoughts with Trib Pirates beat writer Kevin Gorman:
Old friend sighting in Arizona! ????
Jack Wilson in the radio booth with Joe Block & Matt Capps ????️ pic.twitter.com/IfwbZagY7l
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) May 7, 2026
What was it like to watch the Pirates win two of three at Arizona?
I think they’re doing great. That was the goal going into the offseason: to get some bats to complement probably the pitching staff in Major League Baseball. We’re seeing the fruits of that early on, with getting some runs scored — other than the 1-0 Skenes game. It’s a capable lineup that can score five or six runs a game, where you’re allowing your pitchers to control games. If they can continue to do that on the offensive side, it’s going to give those pitchers a little more leeway so they don’t have to think they have to be perfect and throw a bunch of zeroes.
It’s a very tough division. I don’t think there’s a clear-cut division. I think everyone is going to beat each other. It’s going to be close. I think it’s going to be whoever is going to be the most active at the trade deadline. All of these teams have a chance to be relevant at that time. Who’s going to get the big trade to push them ahead of everybody else? It’s the best division in baseball. The entire division is over .500, where in the American League there’s only two teams over .500. It’s going to be fun to see them go through this and compete and capitalize on this great pitching staff.
What was your impression of seeing Paul Skenes pitch in person?
I’ve seen him for a while. Jacob and him were teammates on Team USA. During that time, I was working the 18U national team, with Colt Emerson, Kevin McGonigle, Bryce Eldrige. This was the third time I’ve seen him pitch. I love the fact that he’s a competitor, that he’s always looking to get better. A big guy who obviously has dominating stuff, but he’s always looking to improve where he’s at. He’s never satisfied, and that’s what makes him great. He wants to add a pitch. He wants to understand what the ball is doing and make adjustments. He’s not just out there using stuff. He’s always trying to get better. That’s why he’s the best right-hander in the game.
Did you daydream about what it would have been like to play behind Skenes?
That would’ve been nice, for sure. I probably would have pretty bored playing behind because all of the strikeouts. My favorite to play behind was, like, Paul Maholm because he threw a heavy sinker, which means a lot of ground balls. I liked when Zach Duke was pitching, Tom Gorzelanny — guys that are spinning the ball away from righties. When Oliver Perez was striking out 200 guys a year, I was like, ‘Ugh, boring.’ It’s almost like you show up to the field knowing you’re going to win when Skenes was pitching because we’ve got a dominant pitcher on the mound. To show up every day knowing you have a Mitch Keller or a Skenes or Bubba Chandler or, gosh, (Braxton) Ashcraft — that guy is disgusting; he’s really, really good — you feel really good about your chances. Just get those guys a couple runs and play defense behind them, and you’ve got a chance to win every game.
What’s your history with Konnor Griffin on Team USA?
We had 18-19U national team trials together. He was actually our center fielder, so I didn’t get to mix in a lot with him with the infielders because he was doing outfield stuff. He was a freak at that time, too. He was the best player on that team. Not even close. When they drafted him at shortstop, I was like, I didn’t even know he played short! It’s been pretty cool to watch. He’s got very, very good hands. He understands the pace of the game. He’s got the clock down. That’s the thing: When you’re a rookie, it’s going to be up and down. He’s only 20 years old. He doesn’t have a ton of minor-league at-bats and didn’t play in the Fall League, where you’re going to face really good pitching. But if he’s going to play defense, that’s great. That’s what the team needs. He’s going to get better offensively. Sit him in seven- and eight-hole, let him play D and get acclimated. He’s going to be a superstar. He’s going to be an offensive force in this game over time. He’s going to have some really good games over the course of the year, and he’s going to have some tough ones just because he’s 20 years old and facing big-league pitching for the first time. It’s very difficult. I’m really impressed with his defensive side of the game. That’s why he’s able to be there right now: because he’s so good defensively.
What stands out most about his defense?
The biggest thing is in minor-league season, I think he only made nine errors as an 18-year-old. That’s unheard of. I made 31 errors when I was in A-ball. There’s so much to learn about the timing, the speed, reading ground balls, the different types of fields you’ve got to deal with. That tells you right there that defensively he knows what he’s doing, and he cares about it. You can’t be a great defensive shortstop if you don’t care about defense. For him, it shows that he cares enough to make sure he gets his defensive work, along with his offensive stuff. That is upper-echelon good. To make that amount of errors as an everyday shortstop is incredible. You see why now. He understands the speed of the game. He’s got great hands. He’s got great instincts but he cares about being a great defender. That’s the only way you can be great is if you care about it. He could easily be that guy, like, ‘I’m the No. 1 prospect because I rake. I’m 20 years old. I’m 6-4.’ Everything about him says this guy is going to be a superstar, but he makes sure that he wants to be a great defender. He wants to be a five-tool guy. That’s why he’s there so fast.
On the flip side, the Pirates moved Oneil Cruz from shortstop to center field. What did you see from him?
I think at the time it was the right move. You’re utilizing his arm. He’s done really well. Any time you change positions, there’s going to be a time period where there’s adjustments. He made mistakes last year, and he’s made mistakes this year but that’s everybody. I watched him run down balls in the outfield pregame and when Skenes was pitching, it looks like he’s getting more comfortable — and he can run — so it’s just the comfortability of it for him. You do what’s best for your organization. With Nick Gonzales being able to play short and Konnor being there, it makes it an even better move that they were able to get him out there earlier.
You spent time working with Nick Gonzales. What do you think of his transition to playing shortstop and third base?
He can hold down short. He’s a great infielder. The hard part is when you’re constantly moving around, it’s hard to get consistent reads. It’s hard to be a great everyday player when every day you’re at a different position, at a different angle. If you put somebody at one position for 100 games, they’re going to be much better than if they’re playing 30 here, 40 there and 20 here. The role for him was to bounce around. That’s what the team needed him to be. Even now, he’s going from second base to third base and probably can spell Konnor Griffin when he has an off day. He’s in that super utility role. He’s got great hands, great instincts. Now, his bat is coming around to where we thought it was when he was drafted. He was having a record-setting season before covid shut it down. You picked him for his bat first, defense second and you’re seeing him finally finding his groove with his swing. Sometimes, it takes two or three seasons to get that going. I’m so happy for where he’s at with his bat.
What was it like to revisit the first pitch with your son Jacob of the Athletics last September?
It was pretty incredible. We had that date circled since the schedule came out. I didn’t know if the Pirates even remembered that Jacob had thrown out the first pitch when he was 3. It was on my bobblehead day. It was such a special day that day that he was able to come out on the field to do that. But they had a whole thing planned. It was such a special moment, a full circle moment for our family. We loved our time in Pittsburgh. That’s where Jacob grew up. He grew up going to PNC Park. He grew up in Mars, Pennsylvania, with his friends for eight years. It was obviously emotional watching him play in that stadium. But the first pitch and showing that stuff on the scoreboard, for the younger fans that didn’t know he was a Pirate kid, that they got to see the connection was really special. That’s one of those things you can’t replicate. For me, that was more special than the All-Star Game. That’s so personal to our family. It was pretty awesome.
Then to see the photo of Jacob and JJ Wetherholt on the same T-ball team…
A little coach-pitch T-ball action. When he got drafted, his dad sent that to ESPN. We get to see him next week, when the Cardinals are in town in Sacramento to play the A’s. That will be cool for them to be on the field again together. I’m not even sure they remembered it — I didn’t until I saw the picture — but what a cool picture, with both of their names on their backs next to each other. It was pretty cool. We were living in California in the offseason, then came back after spring training. They didn’t see each other for months. I’m really pumped for JJ, excited that he’s doing well. He’s off to a terrific start. We watched him through West Virginia. He’s doing really well his rookie year. We’re excited to see him next Tuesday. For a little guy, he’s got incredible power. For them to insert that guy into the leadoff spot and play second base every day, he kind of makes that team go.
What has it been like to watch Jacob play same position but be a different type of player than you were?
He grew up in the game. I wanted to teach him a different way to hit than I did. That was the goal. There’s things that you look back on your career and say, ‘I wouldn’t have done that differently.’ I was fortunate that Jacob has really good hand-eye coordination. I modeled his swing after Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. That was the three guys that I liked. I like Mike Trout’s hand load. I liked how Miguel Cabrera got into his legs. And I liked Albert Pujols’ bat path to the ball, which was super flat and matched the plane of the ball. That’s why Albert didn’t strike out much because he was on plane with the ball through the zone. Jacob’s bat path is very similar to his. I’m going to teach you everything I know about defense, but I want you to hit like these guys, not me. He was super coachable, but he’s also 6-3 so he’s a different defensive shortstop than me. I was a 5-10 shortstop, and I had a little more quickness than he does but he ends up gaining a lot of ground because he has the length of a 6-3 shortstop. It’s a different style of defense because of his height. It’s awesome. There’s nothing better than to watch your kids play sports, to follow every game and go travel around and see him at certain places. It’s a joy to be able to watch your kid play baseball in general, let alone in the big leagues. And every game is televised, so you get to see all of it.
Do you remind him about 2004, when you were an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger and batted .308/.335/.459 with 41 doubles, 12 triples, 11 home runs, 59 RBIs and had 201 hits in 2004?
We go back and forth. He’s never going to get the triples, so I’m fine with that. He’s going to get the homers, for sure. Doubles, I think he’s a 40-doubles guy. As he gets more at-bats and he gets more acclimated to the big leagues, there’s a lot of growth there. There’s always the more at-bats you get, the more you get comfortable. There’s still so much for him to learn. Eventually, I think he can be that guy that consistently hits .300, drives in 75-80, especially hitting in the five- or six-hole. It’s not so much of a comparison. I want him to be so much better than I was. That’s the goal — and he’s well on track. We still take ground balls together in the offseason. I try to push him to do some things that he can’t do right now that I can still do, so that’s kind of nice.
Word is you want to get into college coaching?
It’s definitely seeking out interviews. Jobs are going to come open over the next two to three weeks. We’re putting it out there that him and I are a package deal. He’s my main guy. Two big-league guys with 19 years of big-league experience. I’ve already done it. I was an assistant coach at Grand Canyon when Jacob was a junior. I’ve done collegiate summer ball the last two seasons in the Appalachian League, which is owned by MLB. I’ve put in time on the college side, along with five years of coaching high school baseball and got a full understanding of it when I was an assistant coach. We’re ready to rock and roll, to take over a program and really get after it. That’s our passion. It’s not even really a job for us. We love to coach. We love to mentor. That’s coming to fruition. This is the time to get out there. I told my family that I’d wait until my youngest graduated, which is happening in a couple weeks. So the timing is right to get some interviews and try to find the right fit.