by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
July 11, 2026
On Saturday, the A’s took outfielder Drew Burress out of Georgia Tech with their first pick in the 2026 amateur draft. After taking college pitcher Jamie Arnold with their top pick last year, the A’s made a college hitter their top selection with the eighth overall pick this year but followed it up by grabbing three college arms.
The 21-year-old Burress was MLB Pipeline’s 7th-ranked prospect and Baseball America’s 8th-ranked prospect, the exact same positions occupied by Nick Kurtz on both lists two year ago. And like Kurtz, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound, righthanded-hitting outfielder is a complete hitter with real power who also makes plenty of contact and has shown great plate discipline. He slashed .357/.484/.720 with a school-record 60 home runs, plus 60 doubles, 160 walks, just 122 strikeouts, and 28 stolen bases in 886 plate appearances over three seasons at Georgia Tech. Burress has a strong arm, is solid in the field and could stick in center field or make a strong right fielder.
In the second round, the A’s took college pitcher Mason Edwards out of USC with the 47th overall pick. The southpaw, who turns 21 next week, was Baseball America’s 24th-ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 36th-ranked prospect prior to the draft. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound lefty, who turns 21 next week, has a big curveball that fools a lot of hitters, a low-90s fastball that has a lot of movement and a solid changeup. He had a 2.07 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings for USC this year.
In Competitive Balance Round B, the A’s took a second college pitcher, righthander Gabe Gaeckle out of Arkansas, with the 73rd overall pick. The 21-year-old Gaeckle was Baseball America’s 82nd-ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 96th-ranked prospect prior to the draft. The 6-foot, 190-pound righty has a mid-90s fastball and a good slider along with a solid curveball. He had a 3.83 ERA with 236 strikeouts in 185 2/3 innings over three seasons at Arkansas. Gaeckle was born in Santa Cruz and went to Aptos High School.
In the third round, the A’s took a third college pitcher, righthander Jacob Dudan out of North Carolina State, with the 83rd overall pick. The 21-year-old Dudan was MLB Pipeline’s 78th-ranked prospect and Baseball America’s 89th-ranked prospect prior to the draft. The 6-foot-2, 191-pound righty has a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider. He had a 3.60 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 50 inning this year before undergoing Tommy John surgery this spring. He should be ready to return to the mound sometime in 2027.
In the fourth round, the A’s took shortstop/third baseman Roman Martin out of UCLA with the 111th overall pick. The 21-year-old was Baseball America’s 126th-ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 128th-ranked prospect prior to the draft. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Martin is a defense-first infielder with a strong arm who’s solid at both third base and shortstop. He’s shown good plate discipline and a little pop. Martin slashed .333/.446/.549 with 18 doubles, 9 home runs and 42 walks in 60 games for UCLA this season.
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