A's Top Pick Ranked Among MLB's Top-100 Prospects

The Athletics zagged a bit with their most recent first-round pick, selecting Jamie Arnold out of Florida State with the No. 11 overall pick. This was the first time since 2016 that the A's had taken a pitcher in the first round. That year they ended up picking A.J. Puk with the sixth overall selection.

Arnold has been compared to veteran MLB ace Chris Sale for his delivery, and there was a point in time where some draft analysts believed he could end up as the first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. He ended up posting the same 2.98 ERA he'd had in 2024, though in 21 fewer innings, which gave some evaluators pause.

Still, Arnold appears to be a guy that knows what he's doing on the mound, is a competitor out there, and has the potential to move quickly through the A's system.

The team could certainly use some help with top-end pitching talent, and Arnold has the potential to be on the A's roster at some point next year, following in the footsteps of recent draftees Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz--one who was voted in as the starting shortstop in the All-Star Game, and another who just made MLB history with arguably the best single game offensive performance ever.

Baseball America just released their top-100 re-rankings following the MLB Draft, and Arnold finds himself ranked as the No. 64 overall prospect. The A's top prospect remains Gage Jump, whom they selected out of LSU last year with the 73rd overall pick. Jump is ranked by Baseball America at No. 61 overall.

Jump's season has been eye-opening. He began the year in Lansing, posting a 2.32 ERA across 31 innings, striking out 45 and walking just five. He was promoted to Double-A fairly quickly, and in his 12 appearances with the RockHounds, Jump has posted a 1.95 ERA in 55 1/3 innings, with 61 strikeouts and 21 walks allowed.

In his first taste of pro ball, Jump has a cumulative ERA of 2.08 in 86 1/3 innings, striking out 106 and walking 26. The hope for A's fans is that he'll get a promotion to at least Triple-A before the end of the season. He could be an early darkhorse candidate to join the A's rotation next spring.

Having two top-100 pitching prospects is certainly good news for the A's as they hope to get back to contending in 2026. In addition to Jump and Arnold, two more A's pitchers were dropped from the list due to the influx of draftees.

Those two were Jack Perkins (previously ranked No. 91) and Luis Morales (No. 92). Perkins is in the A's bullpen at the moment, and could either become a starting option if the opportunity presents itself, or a leverage arm in the bullpen in future seasons. He's currently eating multiple innings when he makes an appearance and has been largely dominant.

Morales is in Triple-A currently and has posted a 4.40 ERA across 47 innings of work since his promotion from Midland. The Aviators have also moved him from the rotation, where he has made 14 total starts in the minors this year, to the bullpen of late. This is likely so that he doesn't blow past his innings mark from last year, risking injury.

In 2024, Morales totaled 81 innings of work, and this year, with weeks still left in the season, he's already at 89 1/3. He'll also be in the mix for a potential rotation spot in 2026.