Only a little polish needed before Jump could be ready for The Show

MESA, Ariz. -- First came Gage Jump’s moxie, then came his premium stuff.

After impressing Athletics manager Mark Kotsay with his ability to limit the damage in a bases-loaded jam during his Cactus League debut last Monday against the Giants, Jump -- MLB Pipeline’s No. 57 overall prospect -- looked the part of an elite left-hander who is ready for The Show with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings in Sunday’s 12-4 win over the Reds at Hohokam Stadium.

“He was a lot more in control,” Kotsay said. “He looked more relaxed.”

Coming on in relief of starter J.T. Ginn for the fourth inning, Jump retired the side with two strikeouts in a scoreless frame highlighted by a perfectly spotted 98.1 mph fastball on the inner-middle part of the zone that froze Noelvi Marte for a called strike three that was challenged and upheld.

Jump’s second inning began with another challenge on a called strike three on a breaking ball down in the zone and away to Tyler Stephenson. Again, the call was upheld, rendering Cincinnati out of challenges for the rest of the afternoon and bringing great satisfaction to the 22-year-old lefty as he paced around the mound.

“That was interesting,” Jump said with a laugh. “I feel like everyone knew. At least me and [catcher Austin] Wynns, we knew they were strikes. I don’t know why they challenged it.”

Jump allowed a one-out single to Dane Myers but retired his next two batters faced to finish an appearance that showcased why many within the A’s organization believe he could reach the big leagues as early as this season despite having just been drafted in 2024.

There was the electric fastball that topped out at 98.1 mph and averaged 94.6 mph. The low-80s slider that has generated plenty of swing-and-miss early in his professional career. The upper-70s curveball that slices down in the zone. Even a changeup that he’s been working on improving this spring.

“I had a lot of adrenaline the first outing,” Jump said. “I just feel like I was in more control of myself this game. Last game, I just wasn’t executing enough. That was the focus going into this outing. I still have a lot of adjustments I need to work on, but one step in front of the other.”

Among those adjustments are pitch sequencing. Mixing it up against hitters, especially when facing them a second or third time through the order, is something the A’s hope Jump will do a lot of for them soon in the big leagues as a starter. Those are the types of incremental adjustments that might seem small but ultimately are the key to unlocking his potential at the highest level.

“Today, if you really dissect it and look at fastball command, the consistency of landing pitches in the zone, that’s the final touch,” Kotsay said. “He’s figuring that out, and we’re going to work on that. That’s kind of the last polish for him. He’s got the weapons to pitch in the big leagues.”

The A’s believe Jump is getting close to being a finished product. Even in his current form, he’s already showing the qualities of a pitcher who could soon provide a big impact for an A’s squad that will need to improve in the pitching department this season in order to achieve its goal of contending for the playoffs in 2026.

“Really impressive,” Kotsay said. “Hard not to like, right?”

GINN KEEPS IT GOING

After dazzling over two perfect innings in Scottsdale on Monday against the Giants, Ginn took the mound Sunday for his second Cactus League start and blanked the Reds across three innings with two strikeouts.

Spring results can be taken with a grain of salt, but Ginn, who is in the mix for a rotation or bullpen spot, is off to a strong start in his bid with five scoreless frames in two outings.

“He built off his last outing,” Kotsay said. “We really were hoping he’d get three full innings. He did, and got a little work in. There was a little test there pitching out of the stretch for the first time. All in all, another good outing for J.T.”