Former Nuts De Vries, Jump, Bolte, White draw Cactus League raves

MESA, Az. – 19-year-old Leo De Vries is one of the top five prospects in baseball, No. 4, if you ask MLB Pipeline, and the 2025 Lugnut's spring performance has justified his hype.

"Does he have the skillset to play in the big leagues?" Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com reporter Martín Gallegos. "Absolutely. The talent? Yes."

De Vries was one of a quartet of A's prospects who earned a closer look during a Cactus League play, joining fellow 2025 Lugnuts Gage Jump and Tommy White and 2024 Nut Henry Bolte. In 17 Spring Training games through March 16, De Vries is batting .409 with three doubles, three home runs, and a remarkable 1.129 OPS.

"For me," said Kotsay, "what I like about the [De Vries] aura is that it's a quiet level of confidence. There's some, we use the word 'swag,' to how he goes out and plays the game. At the same point, he plays the game the right way. He plays it hard, and he continues to want to learn and grow."

First grand slam in the Green & Gold for De Vries!! pic.twitter.com/lBTE6d5x86

— Athletics (@Athletics) March 8, 2026

In 2025, Gage Jump joined Trystan Magnuson in becoming the second ever Lugnut to make his professional debut as Lansing's Opening Day starter, going on to toss an immaculate inning amid a dominant early-season showing in the Midwest League, earning a trip up to Double-A and a spot at No. 3 on the A's Top Prospects list.

As to his Major League hopes? "It's not if [Jump's] going to be here," said Kotsay to Gallegos, "it's when he gets here."

"He's got Major League pitches. ... He's a hard worker," said A's pitching coach Scott Emerson, after Jump excelled in 3 2/3 innings in an exhibition vs. the Angels in Las Vegas. "He's a student of the game. He's very mature for his level."

Through March 16, Jump has struck out seven batters while walking three and allowing two runs in 9 2/3 innings.

Tommy White goes yard for the second time in his past five at-bats 😮‍💨

MLB's fourth-ranked 3B prospect is 6-for-13 for the @Athletics in Spring Training. pic.twitter.com/S7GSZXKE2V

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 8, 2026

Tommy White, Jump's former LSU and Lugnuts teammate and the A's No. 9 prospect, has ruined many an opposing pitcher's line this spring, knocking 15 hits and driving in 15 runs in his first 17 games, with a .441 average, two doubles, four home runs, and a 1.312 OPS.

"He's got elite bat-to-ball skill," Kotsay told Gallegos. "But in camp, I saw a player that really took to heart the message of, 'Hey you need to really go get strong. You really need to go work on your speed and defense.' He took that to heart. He maximized his offseason."

Bolte bomb 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/eYTz3w2RSv

— Athletics (@Athletics) March 13, 2026

The nearest player to his MLB debut, however, is likely 22-year-old outfielder Henry Bolte, the A's No. 5 prospect, who is hitting .375 with three doubles, three homers and a 1.094 OPS through his first 16 games of spring.

Bolte, who excelled for the Lugnuts in 2024, was called "arguably the MVP of camp" by Gallegos, lauding his offense and defense. "For Bolte, there's reason to think he can have an impact on this ballclub this year with what he was doing in Spring Training," said manager Kotsay. "He's the most physical out of the younger group that isn't going to start out with us."

Kotsay has been raving about Bolte since the start of March, when he declared, "There's a lot of us in that coaches' room that think this kid has the ability to be a real star. He continues to make progress each year, both on the physicality side and the baseball side of just being a better hitter. The tools, the talent and the ability all align with this kid having an impact in our organization, hopefully, sooner than later."

The Athletics' projected Opening Day lineup already includes shortstop Jacob Wilson, third baseman Max Muncy, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, center fielder Denzel Clarke and right fielder Lawrence Butler. Add in the skill and potential of the A's talented young quartet, and things are looking full-on Nuts in west Sacramento this summer.