SACRAMENTO, Calif. (FOX5) — The Athletics selected five players on the first day of the 2026 First-Year MLB Draft, the club announced Saturday.
The picks are OF Drew Burress (Round 1, Georgia Tech), LHP Mason Edwards (Round 2, USC), RHP Gabe Gaeckle (Competitive Balance Round B, Arkansas), RHP Jacob Dudan (Round 3, NC State), and SS Roman Martin (Round 4, UCLA).
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Drew Burress, OF — Round 1 (Georgia Tech)
Burress hit .358 with a 1.130 OPS in 2026, including 16 home runs, 49 walks, and 43 strikeouts. In three seasons at Georgia Tech, he hit .357 with a 1.204 OPS, 60 home runs, and more walks (160) than strikeouts (122) in 179 games. He was named a First-Team All-American and was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist all three years of his collegiate career. He also represented Team USA in the Collegiate All-Star Series.
Mason Edwards, LHP — Round 2 (USC)
Edwards finished the 2026 season 8-0 with a 2.07 ERA, 169 strikeouts, and 47 walks in 95.2 innings across 17 outings for USC. The Los Angeles native was named the 2026 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He led all of college baseball in strikeouts.
Gabe Gaeckle, RHP — Competitive Balance Round B (Arkansas)
Gaeckle, a native of Aptos, Calif., went 6-3 with a 4.14 ERA, 87 strikeouts, and 35 walks in 71.2 innings in 2026. For his career, he posted a 3.83 ERA with 236 strikeouts and 85 walks in 185.2 collegiate innings across 61 appearances, 21 of which were starts.
Jacob Dudan, RHP — Round 3 (NC State)
Dudan went 4-1 with a 3.60 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 50.0 innings pitched for NC State in 2026. He missed the second half of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. For his career, he has 159 strikeouts and 63 walks in 57 collegiate outings, nine of which were starts.
Roman Martin, SS — Round 4 (UCLA)
Martin was named to the 2026 All-Big Ten Team after hitting .333 with a .995 OPS in 237 at-bats. For his career, he hit .321 with a .949 OPS, including 21 home runs. He earned Los Angeles Regional Most Outstanding Player honors, helping UCLA advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
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