Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

A transfer from Louisville to Indiana as a junior led to Perkins gaining better command of his promising arsenal of pitches. The A’s took note of these improvements, selecting him in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft. Beginning his first full season at High-A Lansing and a dominant June performance of seven scoreless innings against South Bend helped push him to Double-A Midland, where he didn’t quite fare as well. Overall, he combined for a 4.10 ERA in 22 games (20 starts) at the two levels. He got extra work in the Arizona Fall League and was arguably Oakland’s top performer, allowing no earned runs in 10 appearances while holding opposing batters to a .209 average in 12 1/3 innings.

Perkins features a hard riding fastball in the 94-97 mph range. He has gained a good feel for both his breaking ball that can miss some bats and a newly developed changeup implemented this past season, while his cutter tops out around 91 mph and gives hitters a different look.

Perkins still walks his fair share of batters as he continues to work on his command. Refining that aspect could lead to another big jump in 2024 with potential to evolve into a solid back-of-the-rotation piece. Invited to his first big league Spring Training, a lat strain early in camp slowed him, though the A’s are not too concerned about the injury.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

After a solid high school career in Indiana and being taken late in the 2018 Draft by the Braves, Perkins first went to Louisville to continue his amateur pitching career. After two years of flashes of stuff without command, he moved to Indiana for the 2022 season. Better feel for the strike zone improved his stock and landed him in the fifth round with the A’s. He had a brief summer debut and went to High-A Lansing, getting off to a strong start, as he began his pro career in earnest in 2023.

Perkins has an intriguing power arsenal that potentially gives him the chance to start. He throws his fastball in the 93-97 mph range and backs it up with a hard 82-84 mph breaking ball that’s a bit of a hybrid offering. It tends to have more curve shape than slider, but can have different characteristics depending on when you see it, and it misses a ton of bats. His cutter, which tops out at 91 mph, gives hitters another look.

The right-hander threw more strikes as part of the Hoosiers rotation in 2022, but the walk rate was still too high to think of him as a legitimate starting pitching prospect. He’s made more strides on that front so far as a pro, and if that trend continues, his good raw stuff gives him the chance to potentially pitch in the back of a rotation.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

A solid prospect from the Indiana high school ranks, Perkins headed to Louisville for college ball after the Braves took him in the 39th round of the 2018 Draft. After two years of showing glimpses of good stuff with poor command, he transferred to Indiana for the 2022 season. Improved control helped him land in the fifth round with the A’s, who signed him for a below-slot bonus of $270,750.

When he’s on, Perkins has some exciting power stuff. It starts with a fastball that sits easily in the 93-97 mph range. He throws a hard breaking ball, in the 82-84 mph range, that is more curve than slider, though different evaluators have labeled the pitch differently. Whatever it’s called, it missed bats at a 42 percent rate with the Hoosiers in 2022. He also mixes in an effective cutter, up to 91 mph.

While Perkins did a better job of finding the strike zone in Indiana’s rotation this past spring, he still has work to do on that front after walking more than five per nine during the season. The A’s were pleased with the improved control he showed during his pro debut, knowing that it was a very small sample size. 

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	06/26/2024	Midland RockHounds activated RHP Jack Perkins from the 7-day injured list.
	06/10/2024	Midland RockHounds placed RHP Jack Perkins on the 7-day injured list.
	05/20/2024	Midland RockHounds activated RHP Jack Perkins from the 7-day injured list.
	05/16/2024	Midland RockHounds sent RHP Jack Perkins on a rehab assignment to ACL Athletics.
	04/05/2024	Midland RockHounds placed RHP Jack Perkins on the 7-day injured list.
	11/30/2023	Oakland Athletics invited non-roster RHP Jack Perkins to spring training.
	09/22/2023	Mesa Solar Sox activated RHP Jack Perkins.
	07/28/2023	Midland RockHounds activated RHP Jack Perkins from the 7-day injured list.
	07/28/2023	Midland RockHounds activated RHP Jack Perkins from the 7-day injured list.
	07/08/2023	Midland RockHounds placed RHP Jack Perkins on the 7-day injured list.
	06/13/2023	RHP Jack Perkins assigned to Midland RockHounds from Lansing Lugnuts. Assigned to Midland from Lansing.
	04/03/2023	RHP Jack Perkins assigned to Lansing Lugnuts from Stockton Ports.
	08/10/2022	RHP Jack Perkins assigned to Stockton Ports from ACL Athletics.
	08/06/2022	RHP Jack Perkins assigned to ACL Athletics.
	07/25/2022	Oakland Athletics signed RHP Jack Perkins.
	06/11/2022	RHP Jack Perkins assigned to College Workout.
	06/11/2022	College Workout activated RHP Jack Perkins.
	06/11/2019	RHP Jack Perkins assigned to Louisville Cardinals.
	08/08/2017	RHP Jack Perkins assigned to PG West.