One of the A’s newest prospects is wasting no time making his presence felt.
Drew Burress, the Athletics outfield pick taken No. 8 in the 2026 MLB Draft, has opened his pro career with a loud calling card: power. On Sunday, the 21-year-old launched his third home run in his fifth professional game, turning around an 0-2 hanging breaking ball and sending it over the left-field wall for a solo homer in Stockton’s 14-7 win over the San Jose Giants.
That kind of pop is exactly what made Burress such an attractive first-round target. He arrived from Georgia Tech after becoming the school’s all-time home run leader, finishing with 60 long balls across three seasons for the Yellow Jackets.
So far, the jump to Single-A has looked pretty natural. Through five games, Burress is 4-for-21 with three homers, six RBIs and five runs scored.
His first three hits as a pro were all home runs, and the only other knock in that stretch was a double on Sunday. In other words, his first four hits since being drafted have all gone for extra bases.
Burress’ college production backed up the draft buzz. This year at Georgia Tech, he hit .358 with a .473 on-base percentage and a 1.130 OPS, while adding 16 homers, 60 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 61 games. Over his full collegiate run, he finished at .357 with 60 home runs and 189 RBIs in 179 games.
He wasn’t the only Georgia Tech product to go early in this year’s draft. The Twins took Vahn Lackey at No. 3 and reportedly handed the former Yellow Jackets catcher a $9,497,500 signing bonus. Lackey has since begun his minor league career with Single-A Fort Myers and is 6-for-27 through his first eight games.
For the A’s, Burress’ first few games have offered exactly the kind of early glimpse you’d want from a first-round bat: the swing is loud, the contact is already showing up in the form of extra bases, and the home runs are coming fast.
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