Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 60

Arnold made it clear he’d be a high-end Draft prospect in 2025 after turning in an outstanding sophomore season with Florida State last spring, finishing third among all Division I pitchers in strikeouts, trailing only 2024 first-round picks Chase Burns and Hagen Smith. The Golden Spikes Award semifinalist also finished with a sub-3.00 ERA and an impressive 159/26 K/BB ratio while helping the Seminoles reach the national semifinals of the College World Series. He capped things off with four hitless innings and seven K’s for Team USA in an International Friendship Series against Chinese Taipei over the summer.

A left-hander with a rangy body and a loose, whippy arm, Arnold has seen his stuff tick up since leaving Jesuit High School for Tallahassee. Coming from a lower arm slot and flat approach angle, his fastball, which was 88-92 mph in high school, now sits in the 94-95 mph range and touches 97 mph, with a ton of life to miss bats. While his slider can be a little wide at times, the 82-85 mph sweeping breaking ball is a second plus offering that elicited a 41-percent miss rate in 2024. His changeup is his third pitch, and he doesn’t need it much, but there’s some feel for it.

Arnold has shown the ability to fill up the strike zone and limit damage while maintaining his stuff deep into outings. With the funky arm slot, his stuff has drawn some comparisons to Chris Sale’s, a reason why his name will be mentioned in conversations at the top of the first round.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

Arnold was one of the best college pitchers in the nation as a sophomore at Florida State in 2024, finishing third among all Division I pitchers in strikeouts and posting an ERA under 3.00. He did that again in his Draft year with a 2.98 ERA, and even with some more inconsistencies, he still struck out 12.6 per nine. It surprised some to see him not land in the top 10 on Draft day, but the A’s were ecstatic he was there at No. 11, and they signed him for a full-slot $5.99 million bonus. He didn’t do much after joining the organization, throwing a couple of bullpens at instructs.

A solid prospect out of high school, Arnold’s stuff ticked up with the Seminoles, and he now has a very good three-pitch mix, all coming from a lower arm slot and flat approach angle. His fastball typically sits in the 94-mph range, touching 97-98. It didn’t miss as many bats, and he didn’t command it quite as well as in 2024, but it still features good life. His 82-85 mph slider was one of the better breaking pitches in the Draft class, and it produced a 45-percent miss and 39-percent chase rate last spring. His mid-80s changeup might be behind the slider, both in usage and effectiveness, but it’s a viable third offering he throws with good feel.

A fierce competitor, Arnold fills up the strike zone and can keep his stuff deep into starts, and it all plays up because of that funky Chris Sale-like arm slot. One of the more advanced college arms from the Class of ‘25, he should move through the A’s system rapidly.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

Arnold made it clear he’d be a high-end Draft prospect in 2025 after turning in an outstanding sophomore season with Florida State last spring, finishing third among all Division I pitchers in strikeouts, trailing only 2024 first-round picks Chase Burns and Hagen Smith. The Golden Spikes Award semifinalist also finished with a sub-3.00 ERA and an impressive 159/26 K/BB ratio while helping the Seminoles reach the semifinals of the Men's College World Series. While he did face some inconsistencies as a junior, he matched his 2024 ERA (2.98) and missed a ton of bats. Thought to be a top 10 pick heading into the Draft, the A’s were thrilled he lasted until pick No. 11 and they signed him for full slot ($5.99 million).

A left-hander with a rangy body and a loose, whippy arm, Arnold has seen his stuff tick up since leaving Jesuit High School for Tallahassee. Coming from a lower arm slot and flat approach angle, his fastball, which was 88-92 mph in high school, now sits in the 94-95 mph range and touches 97, with a ton of life to miss bats. While his slider can be a little wide at times, the 82-85 mph sweeping breaking ball is a second plus offering that elicited a 43 percent miss rate in 2024 and '25 combined. His changeup is his third pitch, and he doesn’t need it much, but there’s some feel for it.

Arnold has shown the ability to fill up the strike zone and limit damage while maintaining his stuff deep into outings. With the funky arm slot, his stuff has drawn some comparisons to Chris Sale, a reason why people think it shouldn’t take him too long to join a big league rotation.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	01/28/2026	Athletics invited non-roster LHP Jamie Arnold to spring training.
	08/04/2025	ACL Athletics activated LHP Jamie Arnold.
	07/23/2025	LHP Jamie Arnold assigned to ACL Athletics.
	07/23/2025	Athletics signed LHP Jamie Arnold.
	06/03/2025	LHP Jamie Arnold assigned to College Workout.
	03/19/2025	LHP Jamie Arnold assigned to Florida State Seminoles.
	04/02/2024	LHP Jamie Arnold assigned to Chatham Anglers.
	03/25/2024	College Workout activated LHP Jamie Arnold.
	03/07/2024	LHP Jamie Arnold assigned to Florida State Seminoles.
	09/29/2021	LHP Jamie Arnold and assigned to West.
	07/13/2021	PG National 5 - Maroon activated LHP Jamie Arnold.
	06/04/2021	High School Workout activated LHP Jamie Arnold.
	06/04/2021	High School Workout activated LHP Jamie Arnold.