Top Athletics Prospects Who Could Contribute in 2026

Sacramento—While the Athletics continue their three-year layover in Northern California before the planned move to Las Vegas, the organization has quietly assembled one of baseball’s most intriguing collections of young talent. Extensions already handed to Tyler Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler signal that the big-league core is in place, yet several high-upside prospects are pounding on the door for 2026. From teenage phenoms to polished college arms acquired in headline-grabbing trades, here are the names most likely to impact the A’s in the upcoming season.

Leo De Vries, SS The 19-year-old shortstop, centerpiece of the Mason Miller/JP Sears swap with San Diego, is on the fast track. After posting a 144 wRC+ in a late-season Double-A cameo, De Vries will return to the level to open 2026. Scouts love his 78-percent contact rate, projectable 6-foot-1 frame and above-average speed that could produce 20-home-run, 20-steal seasons. If he keeps raking, a mid-summer Sacramento debut is realistic; he would become only the 10th teenage position player this century to log MLB reps.

Gage Jump, LHP Jump’s circuitous route—Tommy John surgery at UCLA, resurgence at LSU—ended with Oakland making him a 2024 Competitive Balance pick and giving him a $2 million bonus. The 21-year-old lefty responded by striking out 37 percent of hitters at High-A and 25 percent at Double-A while trimming his walk rate to 7.4 percent. His 94-95 mph fastball features 15 inches of induced vertical break, and a mid-80s slider with eight inches of gloveside movement gives him a second plus pitch. A Triple-A assignment awaits, but the A’s won’t hesitate to promote him if the rotation needs an early-season jolt.

Braden Nett, RHP Another piece of the Miller/Sears haul, Nett has overcome shoulder and elbow setbacks since signing out of a Home Depot warehouse job in 2022. Fully healthy in 2025, he touched 98 mph while fanning nearly 25 percent of Double-A hitters across 105.2 innings. His riding fastball and slurvey curveball are already big-league quality; refining command (career 10-percent walk rate) will determine whether he slots into the back of the rotation or moves to a high-leverage relief role.

Henry Bolte, OF Oakland’s 2022 second-rounder combines elite speed (40 steals in 114 games last year) with light-tower raw power evidenced by a 111.6 mph max exit velocity. A 121 wRC+ between Double-A and Triple-A came despite a 28-percent sweet-spot rate that ranked in the bottom five percent of his level. If a swing overhaul helps him elevate and pull the ball more, the 21-year-old could leap from platoon fourth-outfielder projection to everyday impact.

Kade Morris, RHP Acquired from the Mets for Paul Blackburn, Morris logged 136 innings in 2025 using a six-pitch mix highlighted by a 94-95 mph sinker with 15 inches of armside run. His low release height and lack of spin bias create unusual horizontal movement across the arsenal, and a 7.5-percent walk rate underscores the command that could make him a durable back-end starter.

Other arms on the cusp Right-handers Gunnar Hoglund, Henry Baez and Mason Barnett all finished 2025 at Triple-A or in Oakland. Hoglund, part of the 2022 Matt Chapman trade, made six big-league starts and could fill a swingman role. Baez, 23, posted a 2.39 ERA and three homers allowed in 109 Double-A innings; a half-season at Triple-A should ready him for a debut. Barnett’s hammer curveball and mid-90s heater earned a 2025 cup of coffee, but a 6.85 ERA suggests more seasoning is needed.

With the eighth overall pick in the 2026 draft and a farm system now ranked in the tier-three range, general manager David Forst’s staff has multiple avenues to keep talent flowing. For a franchise rebooting on the fly, the next wave is no longer theoretical—it’s arriving this year.