A's prospect making 'Jump' to Double-A

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 Athletics are enjoying a resurgence of their pitching depth throughout the Minor League system.

At the Major League level, prospects such as (A’s No. 14 prospect) Gunnar Hoglund and J.T. Ginn have already been regular contributors in the starting rotation, as has Grant Holman in the bullpen.

At Triple-A Las Vegas, top-10 A’s prospects Mason Barnett (No. 3) and Jack Perkins (No. 9) are part of the Aviators’ rotation and only one call away.

That pitching talent trickles down beyond the upper levels. Here’s a look at two pitching prospects who appear to be laying the foundation for a rapid rise in 2025:

High-A Lansing: Gage Jump (A’s No. 13 prospect)
Jump is being promoted to Double-A Midland, a source confirmed to MLB.com on Monday. The move is well-deserved given the dominant start to his first professional season.

Through six games (five starts) at High-A, Jump went 4-1 and posted a 2.32 ERA with 45 strikeouts and five walks across 31 innings.

The 22-year-old lefty, who was a Competitive Balance Round B pick (73rd overall) by the A’s in the 2024 MLB Draft out of LSU, has made a strong impression in a short amount of time. During his start against West Michigan on May 7, Jump recorded an immaculate inning en route to twirling eight innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts and no walks.

“The velocity of his fastball and the ability to move that up and down in the zone is tremendous,” Lansing manager Darryl Kennedy said during a pregame show with broadcaster Jesse Goldberg-Strassler over the weekend. “You throw in his breaking pitches, sliders, sweepers, curveballs, they have a lot of depth to them as well. So, you look at it as a hitter, ‘Alright, he’s throwing 95, I’ve got to gear up for that.’ Then he starts breaking off the breaking balls and you can’t lay off them because they’re so late-breaking. It’s definitely a special arm.”

Double-A Midland: RHP Luis Morales (A’s No. 4 prospect)
Morales impressed manager Mark Kotsay in Spring Training when he was called up from Minor League camp on Feb. 25 against the Giants, firing several fastballs that touched 97 mph and showing off a nasty slider that is developing into a quality second pitch.

“It was smooth,” Kotsay said of Morales’ electric fastball. “It came out really easy. The slider looked good. He had a lot of poise. A lot of Cubans who come over, they’ve pitched in games over there, so this is nothing different. But you could tell he was very excited about the outing. It was fun to watch.”

Morales has carried that momentum into the regular season. Across seven starts in his first season at Double-A, the 22-year-old holds a 2.97 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 14 walks in 36 1/3 innings.

His most recent outing for Midland on Sunday might have been his finest yet as a professional. Facing Corpus Christi, Morales tossed seven innings of one-run ball and racked up 11 strikeouts.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Morales gives A’s assistant general manager and director of player personnel Billy Owens flashbacks of another Cuban righty who carved out a legacy with the Yankees in Orlando “El Duque” Hernández.

“Luis carries that El Duque Cuban moxie and machismo,” Owens said. “His fastball reaches 99 mph and is complemented with an advanced changeup and solid slider. It’s been fun to see Morales take his repertoire up a level to start 2025.”