This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ Athletics Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The past few years have seen waves of young prospects brought up by the Athletics who quickly emerged as key pieces of what they consider their next core of winning baseball. This year’s edition was headlined by Nick Kurtz, who oozed superstar potential over a superb rookie campaign that will likely earn him American League Rookie of the Year honors.
3 players who forced their way onto the radar this year
Jump broke through the Top 100 list on the strength of a dominant debut season. He started with High-A Lansing, where he posted a 2.32 ERA in six games (five starts) with 45 strikeouts across 31 innings, then earned a promotion to Double-A Midland, where he recorded a 3.64 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) with 86 strikeouts across 81 2/3 innings.
A Competitive Balance Round B pick (73rd overall) by the A’s in the 2024 MLB Draft out of LSU, Jump will likely begin next season at Triple-A Las Vegas, which sets the 22-year-old up for a call to join the A’s rotation in the big leagues at some point in 2026.
RHP Kade Morris (A’s No. 15)
The A’s kept a close eye on Morris since his early amateur days at Pitman High School in Turlock, Calif., having scouted him while he played for the A’s Area Code Baseball team. While Morris wasn’t drafted by the A’s out of the University of Nevada-Reno in 2023, he eventually found his way to the organization last year when the A’s acquired him from the Mets in exchange for Paul Blackburn at the 2024 Trade Deadline.
Morris, 23, got off to an impressive start in ’24 with Midland by posting a 2.79 ERA across nine starts with 48 strikeouts and 11 walks in 51 2/3 innings. He struggled a bit upon his Triple-A promotion on June 1, which is not uncommon for a young pitcher in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He finished strong, with a 2.81 ERA in 41 2/3 innings for Las Vegas over his final seven starts of the season. Morris even gained an important fan in A’s manager Mark Kotsay.
“He’s a young man I’ve followed this season,” Kotsay said in September. “I think we may see him next year at some point.”
Lin might have a case for the biggest breakout season of any A’s prospect this season. Sent to Single-A Stockton to begin his professional career, the 19-year-old left-hander from Taiwan overmatched California League hitters, earning a promotion after just 13 games (10 starts), He continued to impress at High-A Lansing. Between the two levels, Lin racked up 109 strikeouts against just 18 walks in 80 1/3 innings, leading the A’s to add him to Midland’s postseason roster in September to help the RockHounds reach the Texas League Championship Series.
2 possible breakout players to watch in 2026
Taken 11th overall by the A’s out of Florida State in the 2025 MLB Draft, Arnold is already generating some buzz around how quickly he could progress through the system, given how advanced he is as a pitcher. It remains to be seen where Arnold will begin his pro career in ’26, but once he does, it might not take long for the lefty — who has drawn comparisons to Chris Sale — to pitch his way to the big leagues.
3B Tommy White (A’s No. 7)
Not far behind Kurtz and Jump is White, a second-round pick from that same ’24 Draft class who continues to rake at every level. Between Lansing and Midland this season, White slashed .275/.334/.439 with 12 home runs, 23 doubles and 51 RBIs over a campaign that was limited to 93 games due to a couple of injuries. Extra work in the Arizona Fall League should earn White some playing time in front of the A’s Major League coaching staff this spring before starting a season that could see him reach the Majors if he can stay healthy and continue to hit.
1 big question for next season
Will De Vries reach the big leagues?
Having just turned 19 this month, De Vries — who joined the A’s in a blockbuster deal that sent Mason Miller to the Padres at this year’s Trade Deadline — is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated debuts by an A’s prospect in quite some time. Could that debut come in 2026? It certainly can’t be ruled out. The teenage shortstop was promoted to Double-A in August and helped Midland to the Texas League Championship Series, batting .281 with a .910 OPS in 21 games for the RockHounds. Whether he begins the season with Double-A or Triple-A, the excitement for De Vries in an A’s uniform is building fast.
