The 2026 MLB Draft marked another draft in which the Athletics had a pick inside the top ten. Over the past few years, the Athletics have stuck with college players at the top of the draft. That trend continued in 2026, as the club took Drew Burress, Mason Edwards, and Gabe Gaeckle at the top.
The picks
| Round | Player | School | Signed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drew Burress | Georgia Tech | Y |
| 2 | Mason Edwards | USC | Y |
| 2 | Gabe Gaeckle | Arkansas | Y |
| 3 | Jacob Dudan | NC State | Y |
| 4 | Roman Martin | UCLA | Y |
| 5 | Alex Hernandez | Georgia Tech | Y |
| 6 | Alex Sosa | Miami (FL) | Y |
| 7 | David Rossow | Campbell | Y |
| 8 | Aidan Weaver | Duke | Y |
| 9 | Tanner Marsh | Liberty | Y |
| 10 | Dominic Mauro | Cincinnati | Y |
| 11 | Javar Williams | Wake Forest | Y |
| 12 | Nathan Aceves | UC Santa Barbara | Y |
| 13 | Evan Blanco | Tennessee | Y |
| 14 | Caden Sirvrich | Norwin HS | Y |
| 15 | Dylan O’Connell | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Y |
| 16 | Tyler August | Liberty | Y |
| 17 | Javier Gorostola | FGCU | Y |
| 18 | Bear Madliak | Kansas State | Y |
| 19 | Jake Escalante | Soquel HS | N |
| 20 | Anthony Marnell | San Diego State | Y |
The players
The Athletics used two of their picks within the top five rounds on Georgia Tech players, taking Drew Burress with the eighth overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. Then, the club went back to Atlanta and grabbed Alex Hernandez in the fifth round.
Two years ago, Burress was on the shortlist to go first overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. As a freshman, he belted 25 home runs, which wound up being his high-water mark in college. His offensive numbers dipped in each of his next two seasons, although he wound up with 60 total home runs across three seasons. That broke Jason Varitek‘s record for most home runs in school history.
Wide-open stance from Burress, who boasted plenty of pop over his three years with Tech. That pop showed up early in his pro career, as he cracked six home runs over his first 19 contests. That also assuages some initial concern one might have had about Burress’ pro potential, given he didn’t hit well two years ago in the Cape Cod League. Additionally, he’s shown a high penchant for working counts.
As for Hernandez, the draft-eligible sophomore was a steady performer across two seasons with the Yellow Jackets. He hit at least 13 home runs in his two seasons with the school. However, he did strike out a lot, with 61 strikeouts over 55 contests this past year.
Back to the top of the draft for the Athletics, Mason Edwards was picked in the second round. Edwards is one of those pitchers who, from an analytical standpoint, is a darling. The USC left-hander led DI in strikeouts (169) this season, although he also walked a good number of batters, too. He had 47 walks over 95.2 IP.
But analytics don’t fully explain the left-hander. Edwards doesn’t throw hard, as his fastball sat in the low-to-mid-90s. But he creates a deceptive angle, making his stuff play just that much more.
Gabe Gaeckle, taken in the second round out of Arkansas, struck out 87 over 71 innings this past season for the Razorbacks. Gaeckle came into 2026 as a potential first-round pick but slid down. A fastball in the 93-97 MPH range with carrying action, a changeup, and two breaking balls help make up his arsenal.
Jacob Dudan, from NC State, was a big power pitcher with the Wolfpack, armed with a power fastball and slider. Dudan made just eight starts this season but netted himself quite a lot of strikeouts against premier ACC competition. Overall, he struck out 62 over 50 innings.
It was mostly a college-laden draft for the Athletics, who also picked up several other strong performers from the 2026 season. Roman Martin was a steady performer at UCLA over the course of his collegiate career. In his final season with the Bruins, Martin had 79 total hits over 60 contests. Alex Sosa hit well both at NC State and Miami (FL), while Tanner Marsh had 89 hits with Liberty this past season to finish in the top-30 of the nation.
The Athletics weren’t done with the ACC after grabbing Sosa, either. Aidan Weaver of Duke boasted a fastball that sat 94-97 MPH during the postseason conference tourney. Wake Forest outfielder Javar Williams is a toolsy hitter with speed.
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