​Drew Burress has dominated the headlines for the A’s draft class so far, but the green and gold added four more players—three college pitchers—who should be intriguing to watch develop in the years ahead. With their second selection, the A’s took USC left-hander Mason Edwards at the 47th overall pick. He had been ranked No. 36 by MLB Pipeline heading into the draft, and the broadcast noted concerns in his profile about not throwing hard enough. Generally, he sat in the 91-92 mph range and touched 95. After the first day of the draft, Athletics Roundtable pressed A’s Scouting Director Eric Kubota about that concern. “We’ve actually seen him in the fall and winter up to 97,” Kubota said. “As a starter, he’s pitched more in the low 90s. But we’ve seen more velocity from him in the past, and we believe there’s room for that to improve as a starter as well. The way he spins the baseball, a lot of those guys are able to boost their velocity as they develop.” Edwards went 8-0 across his high school and college career, losing no games as a sophomore or junior. This spring, he posted a 2.45 ERA over 17 starts and 95⅔ innings, leading the country with 169 strikeouts, which accounted for a 42.7% strikeout rate. He also issued 11.9% walks. Kubota drew a comparison, noting the similarities to Barry Zito.
The A’s third-round pick, right-hander Gabe Gaeckle from Arkansas, had been ranked No. 96 by Pipeline but went No. 73 overall to Oakland. The A’s also held the No. 83 pick, which is where the selection became clear why they acted when they did. Gaeckle can sit 98-99 mph with his fastball, pairing it with a mid-80s slider. In the past two seasons, he appeared in 39 games, with 21 starts, and posted a 4.14 ERA over 71⅔ innings in 2026, while striking out 26.1% of opponents. “We think he has the mix to start,” Kubota said. “I think the transition from high school to the bullpen was easier for him, and he had success there. Arkansas probably felt it was more beneficial for their team to have him in the ‘pen, but we do believe he’s a starting pitcher down the road.”
The third-round pick was Jacob Dudan from NC State, a right-hander who underwent Tommy John surgery this spring after beginning the year 4-1 in eight starts spanning 50 innings and posting a 3.60 ERA. He demonstrated a strong mix of strikeouts (30.4%) and restrained walks (5.9%) in those eight starts. “We thought the opportunity in that round was one we couldn’t pass up,” Kubota said about selecting Dudan after his Tommy John surgery.
The timeline for Dudan with the A’s will likely be at least a year from now before he’s back throwing for the team. Kubota also noted that the organization will monitor how the draft picks recover and develop, with an eye toward the potential impact they could have down the line.