Thomas White

School: Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass. Source: HS

Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.8
BA Grade:55/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 60. Curveball: 55. Changeup: 60. Control: 50.

From the time he started high school, White separated himself as one of the elite prep pitchers in the country for the 2023 class. He has remained in that tier during his draft year and ranks as the best lefthander available in the draft. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, White has a smooth, fluid delivery with minimal effort. His fastball typically sits at 92-96 mph and reaches 97 with late arm-side run from his three-quarter slot and a chance there’s a tick of extra velocity still to come. He maintains his arm speed on an 82-86 mph changeup that flashes plus, looking like a fastball out of his hand before falling underneath barrels with good sink and fade. When his changeup is on, White has the confidence to double and triple up on that pitch. White’s changeup is advanced, but the secondary pitch he leans on the most is his curveball. It’s hard and sharp at times at 78-81 mph, with one late-season outing in which he threw 20 of 24 curveballs for strikes with five swinging strikes and six total strikeouts on that pitch. It has three-quarter shape, often getting wide on him and breaking like a slider. With White’s arm slot and the way his curveball bends laterally, some scouts think he will eventually add a true slider to his mix. One of the biggest areas for White’s development will be his fastball command. It’s an easy delivery, but he’s still a long-limbed teenager with lengthy arm action that isn’t always synced up. That has led to times where his control escapes him, especially up and to his arm side, though aside from one rocky outing it was generally better this year. If White can dial in his fastball command, he has the upside to be a front-end starter.