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Midland RockHounds pitcher Jamie Arnold was taken by the Athletics with the 11th overall pick of the 2025 Major League Baseball amateur draft out of Florida State.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Christopher Hadorn\/Reporter-Telegram <\/p>\n
It speaks volumes of how the Athletics view Jamie Arnold when his first professional baseball assignment is at the Double-A level.<\/p>\n
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The 6-foot-1, 188-pound Arnold is beginning his pro career with the Midland RockHounds this week in their series with the Arkansas Travelers after being taken by the Athletics with the 11th overall pick of the 2025 Major League Baseball amateur draft out of Florida State.<\/p>\n
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The left-handed pitcher posted a 3.00 earned run average over three appearances for the A\u2019s with their big league club in Cactus League games this spring.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome,\u201d Arnold says of starting out at Double-A. \u201cIt means a lot. Obviously, that means the team sees me highly. It\u2019s going to be a challenge. It\u2019s not going to be easy. But I\u2019m ready for it. It\u2019s awesome to be here. If you get to skip two levels, I will take it all day. The main goal is to be in the big leagues, and this is just one step closer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arnold\u2019s first love was basketball, not baseball when he was growing up in Tampa, Florida.<\/p>\n
Arnold said he became frustrated with baseball for a short time when a back injury he suffered playing basketball impacted his hitting ability. He had hit well his whole childhood until this experience.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think it was my freshman year of high school, I wanted to quit,\u201d Arnold said of dropping baseball. \u201cMy dad (Jimmy) would not let me. I kept getting hurt playing basketball, so ultimately my decision was kind of made for me. I didn\u2019t pitch until I was a sophomore. Once I started pitching, I started getting college interest and that made my decision. Yes, I miss basketball. In another life, I\u2019m a basketball player, but in this one I\u2019m a baseball player.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout him, I wouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d Arnold added about his father who played football at Central Florida. \u201cThank you, dad, for not letting me quit baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arnold, 22, believes his multi-sport background helped him become a better athlete in baseball, and he still tries to play some pickle ball and basketball so he\u2019s not doing the same repetitive movements in his baseball workouts.<\/p>\n
Arnold has developed a funky, low slot delivery that makes it difficult for opposing batters to pick up the ball.<\/p>\n
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That deceptiveness helped Arnold guide the 2024 Seminoles to the College World Series as a sophomore and post a 2.98 ERA during his junior year.<\/p>\n
Arnold says he can tell that some hitters are uncomfortable picking up the baseball out of his low release point by their swings.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, my slot has dropped,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cI initially started out high three-quarters, but I got to college, put on some weight, my slot has dropped. Now it\u2019s where it\u2019s at, but it feels comfortable. It\u2019s something I started doing and got some good results and kept up with it. But I think it was a natural transition into how I throw now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arnold uses a fastball, a slider and a changeup to attack hitters.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not the traditional changeup where you\u2019re going to get soft contact and it\u2019s just to get the ball on the ground,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cIt\u2019s honestly more of a strikeout pitch. Yes, it\u2019s a work in progress. I\u2019m still trying to fine tune it, but I like where it\u2019s at coming into the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
RockHounds manager Gregorio Petit is looking forward to seeing how Arnold handles the transition to pro ball after he pitched in the high-level Atlantic Coast Conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s talented,\u201d Petit says. \u201cHis mechanics, he has some deceptive angles to work with. Hopefully, that plays out for us, and he helps us win some games and hopefully he leaves here soon, he gets out of here quick.\u201d<\/p>\n
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