From dominating the ACC to starring in the Futures Game, first-round pick Jaime Arnold is fast-tracking through the Athletics' system with a lethal 98-mph heater and elite command.
When he was pitching for the Florida State Seminoles, Jaime Arnold was one of the best in all of college baseball.
One year after being drafted in the first round by the Athletics, he is on the fast path to reaching the Major Leagues.
As a sophomore with the Seminoles, Arnold finished third among all Division I pitchers in strikeouts and posted an ERA under 3.00 in 2024. He lowered his ERA to 2.98 last year with a strikeout rate of 12.6 per nine innings.
The Athletics selected him with the 11th overall pick and signed him for a full-slot $5.99 million bonus. They saved his arm the rest of last summer by only pitching him in bullpen sessions during the instructional league.
The Athletics are so high on the Seminole standout that they started him at Double-A Midland for his first professional season. Through 17 starts, Arnold has put up a 4.11 ERA with a .276 opposing batting average and 85 strikeouts in 81 innings.
While those stats aren’t necessarily ace material, his potential was high enough to put him on the list for the All-Star Futures Game. He entered the game in the sixth inning and went through three outs cleanly with a walk and a strikeout.
Athletics general manager David Frost told MLB.com that week that “it was fun” to watch Arnold and fellow top prospect Leo De Vries at the Futures Game.
“I think they’re both in a really good place with their development. Jamie’s first full season [in the Minors], he’s competing at Double-A and racking up strikeouts,” Frost said. “He’s had some games where he’s given up some hits and has had to work his way out, but that’s part of the process.”
Arnold’s path to the big leagues is everything but unexpected. Everyone who follows baseball is seeing this rise before their eyes. MiLB.com included Arnold among newly drafted prospects who could be the next Trey Yesavage, who is known for coming from being a top draft pick in 2024 to appearing in the 2025 World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Arnold was also included among the top 10 left-handed pitching prospects in MiLB.com in January, ranking him sixth among the top 10 in estimated time arrival to the show. Arnold was also rated among the top control tools among the prospects.
Arnold was a premier prep prospect when the Seminoles added him to their staff. His competitiveness and side-arm slot similar to Chris Sale have led to a fastball touching as high as 98 mph and a slider ranking 82-85 mph. That’s what led him to being one of the more advanced college arms in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Arnold is going to be an Athletic, it’s not a matter of if or when, but a matter of where; Sacramento or Las Vegas.
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