Lefty prospect Jump could make the leap for A's in '26

For the Athletics, the 2025 season was highlighted by the rise of a talented young core, led by American League Rookie of the Year Award winner Nick Kurtz and runner-up Jacob Wilson.

In 2026, a similar wave might be coming on the pitching side.

The A’s have dramatically improved their farm system in recent years, rated as the 14th-best in baseball by MLB Pipeline as of its midseason rankings back in August. The list is highlighted by a trio of Top 100 prospects, the closest to Major League-ready being left-hander Gage Jump.

Jump (A’s No. 3 prospect/MLB No. 60) is considered the eighth-best left-handed prospect in baseball. It’s a high recognition he’s achieved in a short amount of time. Drafted by the A’s as a Competitive Balance Round B selection (No. 73 overall) out of LSU in 2024 -- the same Draft that brought them Kurtz with the fourth overall pick -- Jump ascended into MLB’s Top 100 rankings on the strength of an impressive debut season.

He started out the 2025 campaign at High-A Lansing, where he posted a 2.32 ERA in six games (five starts) with 45 strikeouts and five walks across 31 innings. Jump then earned a promotion to Double-A Midland, where he got off to a strong start before fading a bit near the end as he racked up the most innings he’s ever pitched in a season, posting a 3.64 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) with 86 strikeouts across 81 2/3 innings for a Rockhounds squad that reached the Texas League championship.

In all, Jump went 9-7 with a combined 3.28 ERA in 26 games (24 starts) with 131 strikeouts and 34 walks over 112 2/3 innings.

“You could tell early on with him that he’s pretty special,” said former A’s Minor League pitching coordinator Mike McFerran, who accepted a job as the Royals’ assistant pitching coach in November. “I think everyone can kind of feel that from him pretty much from the onset. We’re dealing with an elite pitcher here, and I think he’s blooming in front of us pretty quickly.”

Jump operates as more of a power pitcher than his 6-foot, 200-pound frame might suggest, relying on a high-quality fastball that sits mid-to-upper 90s with an uphill motion that makes it difficult for hitters to get on top of. He also features a curveball that tunnels well off the fastball and two different breaking pitches -- a hard slider that can also morph into a bigger sweeper depending on the situation. Jump also has worked on a changeup that can act as somewhat of a sinker against lefties or more of a traditional changeup to get righties out in front.

Jump, who turns 23 in April, will join the A’s in big league camp this spring before likely heading out to Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the season. He’s knocking on the door of the Majors, and he’s one of several pitching prospects in the system that could soon help the A’s in their push for the playoffs next season.

“Our position group is our strength,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “I think we’re in a position now where the young talented pitchers are in a very similar kind of spot. … We’ve identified guys that look to be impactful pitchers in our future, which is Gage Jump and [Jamie] Arnold and [Steven] Echavarria. We’ve got [Luis] Morales in the big leagues. Kids like [Kade] Morris, [Braden] Nett, [Henry] Baez, so, there’s a group that can maybe catapult us on the pitching side.”