Athletics Sign First-Round Pick Jamie Arnold

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The Athletics have signed left-handed pitcher  , reports . The As took him with the 11th overall pick in last weeks draft. His $5,985,100 signing bonus is full slote value for that pick.  Arnold, 21, spent the past three Gavin Williams Jersey  years pitching for Florida State University. He finished both his 2024 and 2025 seasons with a 2.98 earned run average. He struck out over 33% of batters faced in both of those seasons.  Pre-draft rankings from , , and all had Arnold listed as one of the top six guys available in the cla s. All outlets mention his mid-90s fastball. His best secondary pitch is a slider/sweeper, though his changeup also gets some positive mentions. was a bit more bearish, putting Arnold at #17 and mentioning that his fastball declined this year, both in terms of velo and his feel for the pitch.  The As are rebuilding and have put together a strong lineup, but the pitching staff still needs work. They will have a tough time luring free agents in the next few years, as they are currently playing in a Triple-A park. The amenities there have led to various complaints from players. As a Pacific Coast League park, the playing conditions are specifically unfavorable for pitchers. Developing homegrown arms should be an important focus of the organization in the next few years and Arnold could be a key component of that. already lists Arnold as the second-best prospect in the system.  Photo courtesy of Abigail Dollins, Imagn Images  Charles Nagy Jersey