Tuesday, October 20

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s beat newsletter.

SEATTLE -- Jamie Arnold and Devin Taylor have arguably been the top two performing Athletics prospects in the entire organization, and both are now officially on the cusp of the big leagues.

Earlier this week, the duo was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas after posting stellar numbers for Double-A Midland.

Arnold -- rated the A’s No. 3 prospect and the No. 57 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline -- took a while to find his footing in his first professional season after he was selected No. 11 overall in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Florida State. Once summer hit, the left-hander found his groove, posting a 2.43 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 25 walks in 66 2/3 innings over his final 13 starts with Midland before the promotion.

The strikeouts are certainly impressive, but perhaps even more important for Arnold was the 53.1 percent ground-ball rate he carried in 23 starts at Double-A. Keeping the ball on the ground is of the utmost importance for A’s pitchers going forward as they play their home games in the hitter-friendly environment of Sutter Health Park and then eventually a new ballpark in Las Vegas, and that ability should help Arnold once he gets that call to the big leagues.

“Arnold had his learning curve in Double-A,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “The growth that he showed and the success he’s had over the last six weeks has been great. We’re going to challenge him now to go to Triple-A in a ballpark that we know is an offensive ballpark and an offensive league and perform. There’s going to be a learning curve for him at that level, but we felt it was the right time to promote him and give him this next challenge.”

Arnold passed his first Triple-A test with flying colors. Making his debut for Las Vegas on Tuesday against an El Paso lineup featuring six hitters with Major League experience, the 22-year-old left-hander fired five scoreless innings on 67 pitches, allowing just four hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Taylor, rated the A’s No. 7 prospect, has had a remarkable rise through the system. Drafted in the second round by the A’s last year out of Indiana, Taylor began 2026 -- his first full season as a professional -- at High-A Lansing, where he quickly conquered Midwest League pitching by hitting .292 with an .861 OPS in 57 games.

Moved up to Double-A on June 9 for a tougher challenge, Taylor performed even better in the Texas League, slashing .323/.409/.534 with 14 home runs, 15 doubles and 54 RBIs in 68 games, prompting this recent promotion.

So far in Las Vegas, Taylor is again mashing. In just his second game for the team on Wednesday, the 22-year-old outfielder recorded four hits -- two homers, including a grand slam -- and seven RBIs. In all, Taylor entered Thursday slashing a combined .316/.420/.507 with 22 homers, 26 doubles and 104 RBIs in 127 games between the three levels.

“This kid has been very impressive,” Kotsay said of Taylor. “First full season of pro ball, he’s earned these promotions with performance. He’s continued to impress, and he’s getting an opportunity now to go to Triple-A and accelerate that learning curve. Each level, there’s generally an adjustment period. But when he got to Double-A, there was not much of an adjustment period and he really performed. It’s exciting to have a young player like that in his first full season have that type of success. He’ll be a great addition to that Vegas roster for them going to the playoffs. He’s going to get that experience as well.”

It has been an accelerated path for Arnold and Taylor, one earned by stellar play. Now just one step away, both stand more than a decent shot to reach the big leagues as early as the start of the 2027 season.

In the lead-up to Childhood Cancer Awareness Day on Sunday, the Athletics visited Keaton's Child Cancer Alliance last Saturday to unveil a Starlight Nintendo Switch donated in partnership with MLB and Starlight Children's Foundation. On Monday, the A's will host their ballpark recognition, welcoming families from Family House -- a nonprofit providing free housing for families during pediatric cancer treatment -- for batting practice and a player meet-and-greet. Keaton's Child Cancer Alliance will also be highlighted as the Nonprofit Partner of the Game, with one of their supported families throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

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