Former LSU Pitching Star Finding Rookie Success On The Mound

After a rough start to his MLB career, this former LSU Tiger star Gage Jump has definitely settled into his groove on the MLB mound.

Jump is actually a pretty amazing story. It took him just 250 innings of post-high school baseball to make his MLB debut. He threw 99 and 1/3 innings in college, then 150 and 2/3 across three levels of minor league baseball. Then, boom, Jump had jumped to the majors.

The Oakland Athletics rookie was called up to make his first MLB start in late May, facing the Seattle Mariners. He got a little roughed up in that game, throwing 5 innings and giving up 4 earned runs on 9 hits. He did strike out 5 hitters in the game, but not many are expecting Jump to have eye-popping strikeout numbers in his career (like another former LSU Tiger, Paul Skenes). Honestly, it wasn't a horrible debut, but it didn't set the world on fire either...the kind of game where you're not sure if he gets sent back to the minor leagues after or not.

Well, they didn't send him down...and that decision is paying off.

Gage Jump Gets His First MLB Win

After the bumpy first start, Jump's second game was on the road against the Chicago Cubs. At Wrigley, Jump threw 7 innings, giving up just 3 hits and 1 earned run. Just like his first game, he struck out 5 batters in the game. The performance earned Jump his first MLB win.

Gage Jump #79 of the Athletics throws a pitch (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

To follow that up, Jump made another road start, this time against the Houston Astros (a team with a notorious home field advantage). Jump came out and tossed 6 and 1/3 shutout innings against the Astros. He gave up just 3 hits in the game. His offense gave him plenty of support, scoring 5 runs in the victory. Which was enough to earn Jump his second career win.

What Is Next For Gage Jump

Right now, the plans for the A's and Jump aren't clear. Sitting at 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA after 3 starts feels pretty good for an A's team that appears like they're trying to compete this year. It doesn't mean the team won't send Jump back down to the minors at any point, it probably just makes him more comfortable in his spot with 2 strong starts under his belt.

The trade deadline might have an impact on the plans for his season. Not that Jump is at risk of being traded, but if the A's are serious about winning games and challenging for the AL West, they might look to bring some arms into the clubhouse. Which could mean innings are going to be harder to find for someone like Jump.

Gage Jump's LSU Career

Originally a pitcher at UCLA, Jump rode the transfer portal to Baton Rouge, where he became one of the best pitchers in the country.

In 2024, Jump started 15 games for LSU, going 6-2 for the Tigers. He had a total of 83 innings and 101 strikeouts. He was the only LSU pitcher that season to throw a complete game. If there was any real critique of Jump's season, it would probably be in the home run department, where he surrendered at team-high 9 dingers.

His season was good enough for the Athletics to use a Second Round pick on him in the 2024 MLB Draft. Jump was taken 73rd overall in the draft, and made an instant impression. His first pro season was in 2025, where he was selected to play in the Futures Game, All Star weekend. Coming into 2026, Jump was rated by multiple publications as one of the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball, and the 3rd best prospect in the A's system.