It’s rare that a young player who projects as a potential superstar becomes available to acquire, but that’s exactly what happened when the Athletics landed one of baseball’s elite prospects in Leo De Vries as part of the haul from the Padres at the 2025 Trade Deadline in exchange for Mason Miller and JP Sears.
Once De Vries officially joined the A’s system, it didn’t take long for them to realize the type of talent they have on their hands.
“Special player,” said A’s director of player development Ed Sprague. “All the raw skills are there. Offensively, he looks like he sees it very well. He’s got power without being an incredibly strong kid, but he sees it and drives it from both sides. Defensively, he’s got really good hands and a really good arm.
“In a small sample size being around him, it looks like he’s a guy that can rise to the occasion. The moment doesn’t scare him.”
De Vries, ranked the A’s No. 1 prospect and No. 4 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, headlines an improved farm system -- even after a year that saw graduations for American League Rookie of the Year Award winner Nick Kurtz and runner-up Jacob Wilson -- that features three players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list. Joining him on that list are a pair of talented left-handers in Jamie Arnold -- the 11th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft -- and Gage Jump, both of whom have a chance to make an impact at the big league level this season.
Beyond those three, Henry Bolte (No. 5), Braden Nett (No. 6), and Tommy White (No. 9) are among the top 10 A’s prospects on the cusp of reaching the Majors, perhaps as early as 2026.
Here’s a look at the A’s top prospects:
1. Leo De Vries, SS (MLB No. 4)
2. Jamie Arnold, LHP (No. 41)
3. Gage Jump, LHP (No. 57)
4. Wei-En Lin, LHP
5. Henry Bolte, OF
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2025 preseason list to the 2026 preseason list:
Jump: Wei-En Lin, LHP (2025: NR | 2026: 4)
Lin had arguably the biggest breakout season of any A’s prospect in 2025. Sent to Single-A Stockton to begin his professional career, the 19-year-old left-hander overmatched California League hitters, earning a promotion after just 13 games (10 starts) to High-A Lansing, where he continued to impress. Between the two levels, Lin racked up 109 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 80 1/3 innings, leading the A’s to add him to Double-A Midland’s playoff roster in September to help the Rockhounds reach the Texas League championship series.
Fall: Rodney Green, OF (2025: 21 | 2026: NR)
The A’s were excited to land Green in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft after he showed off a tantalizing power-speed combo during his three college seasons at Cal. But those tools also came with some serious swing-and-miss concerns, which showed up in his first full professional season, as he struck out 149 times over 119 games in a season in which he began at High-A Lansing and was demoted back to Single-A Stockton after massive struggles at the plate. The recent influx of talent acquired by the A’s through the Draft and trades also led to Green’s drop in the rankings.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools – 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 -- Leo De Vries
Power: 60 -- Devin Taylor
Run: 65 -- Henry Bolte
Arm: 65 -- Darwing Ozuna
Defense: 60 -- Junior Perez (Ryan Lasko)
Fastball: 60 -- Jamie Arnold (Gage Jump, Eduarniel Núñez)
Curveball: 55 -- Gage Jump (Wei-En Lin, Steven Echavarria, Mason Barnett)
Slider: 70 -- Eduarniel Núñez
Changeup: 55 -- Braden Nett (Zane Taylor)
Control: 60 -- Gunnar Hoglund
How they were built
Draft: 14 | International: 7 | Trade: 9
Breakdown by ETA
2026: 11 | 2027: 9 | 2028: 4 | 2029: 3 | 2030: 2 | 2031: 1
Breakdown by position
3B: 2 | SS: 4 | OF: 9 | RHP: 11 | LHP: 3 | TWP: 1