Jacob Wilson Has a Message For A's Fans in the Bay Area

The A's are spending the weekend in Summerlin, Nevada for Big League Weekend, getting in a pair of games against the Los Angeles Angels in front of their soon-to-be home fans in the Silver State.

The first game was started by one of the team's top pitching prospects, Gage Jump, and the lineup was filled with young players that will either be playing in Triple-A to begin this season, or big leaguers that will be with the club when the planned ballpark is expected to open in 2028. The result wasn't what the A's were hoping for, a 3-0 Angels' win, but it was a sellout, which is a positive for the club.

Ahead of the opener, Jacob Wilson was asked if he had a message to the fans back in the Bay Area that have had a hard time embracing this club with the team's relocation to Las Vegas.

Wilson talks to the fans back in Oakland

"I think that, from a player's perspective, we're always going to be grateful for the time that we had there. [The Coliseum] was the place that I debuted, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. That was the first time I ever stepped on a Major League Baseball field, and the fans welcomed me great to that stadium, and Major League Baseball.

"It was just the support that they showed us on the way out is something that I'll truly never forget. Selling out the Coliseum those last couple games.

"My message to them is just that, from the player's side, we were really grateful for them. We just ask that we keep getting support as players. I know that they have their own opinions on all this change and all this stuff that's happening, but hopefully they realize that it's out of the player's hands. So if they could just support the guys, we were really appreciative of them.

"We still have some guys here that played there and really enjoyed it. It is what it is. All this change and stuff is happening, but overall it's exciting. Hopefully we go out there and put a good group together and make baseball exciting to watch."

Can fans in Oakland just support the players?

This is definitely the right approach to attempting to win back some of the scorned fans in Oakland. Reading between the lines, he's trying to create a permission structure for the fans to "just root for the players" while not necessarily saying not to root for the owner that moved them, but it seemed implied.

The only problem is, those same fans will be reticent to give any money to A's ownership, and it's difficult to consume the product that is A's baseball without giving ownership money in one way or another. Even if they just watch them on TV, they're giving up their time and improving the team's ratings for an eventual deal for the TV rights in Las Vegas.

The sentiment expressed by Wilson was heartfelt and genuine, but it may not be enough to bring back the fans that loved this team in Oakland.

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