The A’s earned the 8th overall selection following Tuesday’s Draft Lottery, but will still have some great options to choose from.
Heading into Tuesday’s draft lottery, the A’s held the fifth-highest odds at earning the first overall selection in the 2026 Draft next summer. However, the results went as every lottery has gone for the team since it was introduced in 2023. The A’s were not eligible for it last offseason, and in 2023 and 2024 drafts, they landed picks lower than expected.
The A’s will pick 8th overall next summer, for the first time in franchise history. The team has had some really great first-round selections over the last half-decade with names like Tyler Soderstrom in 2020, Max Muncy in 2021, and more recently, Jacob Wilson in 2023, Nick Kurtz in 2024, and Jamie Arnold last summer.
There’s still a whole college baseball season to be played before the draft in July, but there’s a ton of talent that will be impactful in MLB within the next few seasons that the A’s could look to land with the eighth overall pick.
Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Flukey, 20, is a 6-foot-6 right-hander from Coastal Carolina who features an elite 60-grade fastball and curveball. He has the potential to be a superstar starting pitcher in the league, even maintaining high velocity late into games.
The lengthy Chanticleer was part of a pitching duel with former third overall LSU southpaw, Kade Anderson, in the College World Series. In that game, Flukey pitched six innings with nine strikeouts. Clearly one of the best starters in college baseball, and he’ll look to be a top 10 selection following his Spring season. He is currently ranked by Pipeline as the third pitcher on the board, and the top righty.
Currently, Flukey is listed as the ninth-ranked player in the 2026 draft class, which means there’s a shot he could be available at pick eight for the A’s. However, another really strong season for Flukey could boost him into a top-5 selection.
With the A’s not having a clear ace at the moment, landing a young future superstar in the first round would be a dream come true for David Forst and the A’s front office. He’d also be a nice rotation piece to have alongside Luis Morales and eventually even Jamie Arnold.
Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle (HS)
Spangler, 18, is a high school option for the A’s with their eighth overall pick. The Stanford commit stands at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds as a shortstop. He attends De La Salle High School in Concord, California, the same school that Boston’s Kyle Harrison attended.
Spangler has already drawn Corey Seager comparisons in high school, as he’s a big guy, but still a really good all-around player. Even with his size, he will likely remain on the left side of the infield. The San Francisco Chronicle named Spangler its Player of the Year, and he will certainly be drafted in the first round, potentially causing him to forgo his commitment to Stanford.
The A’s have a lot of infield depth, specifically at shortstop, in the upper minors and big leagues. Jacob Wilson was the starting American League shortstop in the All-Star Game this summer, and is looking like the franchise guy at a young age. The team also acquired one of the best prospects in all of baseball, Leo De Vries, from the Padres in the Mason Miller deal.
The A’s likely won’t use Spangler’s position against him, however. At just 18-years-old, he wouldn’t get rushed to the big leagues as the team did with Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz out of college. Because the A’s don’t have too many big-time infield prospects aside from De Vries and Tommy White, the team could certainly grab a high school bat this summer.
Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Flora, 20, is yet another college arm, and the flamethrower has a 70-grade fastball. He started 11 games for UC Santa Barbara last season and posted a 3.60 ERA in 75 innings pitched. Flora stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, and his size and arm strength will certainly help him become an elite arm in the big leagues.
His former teammate, Tyler Bremner, who was drafted this past summer, was also part of UC Santa Barbara’s staff, but Flora has even more velocity and could be even scarier in years to come. Bremner was seen as a potential A’s pick at No. 11, but the Los Angeles Angels swooped him up with the second overall selection.
Even as a starting pitcher, Jackson Flora can sit at 97 miles per hour and even touch triple digits. A truly fun arm to add to the farm system.
A lot of the up-and-coming star pitchers like Trey Yesavage, Paul Skenes, and even Cam Schlittler are able to light up the radar gun but still be effective starters. However, the A’s tend to move flamethrowers to the bullpen, as they did with Mason Miller. When Miller was first in the big leagues, he was a starter, but he was moved to the bullpen to preserve his arm.
Even if the A’s were to select someone like Jackson Flora in hopes he could be a star in their rotation eventually, it’s certainly not the worst fallback option if he became a star reliever like Mason Miller.
It’s unfortunate that the A’s didn’t end up with a top-5 selection in this year’s draft. However, with how much talent there is in this draft class, and how excellent the team has been at drafting recently, the A’s should end up with a super talented prospect this summer.
