by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of New England Baseball Journal.
The Pittsburgh Pirates own the #1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, which is scheduled for July 9th-July 11th in Seattle, WA. This draft could be the final piece of GM Ben Cherington’s puzzle to catapult the Bucs into a yearly contender.
In the next few weeks, Draft 412 will showcase the top prospects coming out in 2023.
Name- Thomas White
Pos-SP B-L T-L
Team- Phillips Academy (MA)
HT/WT- 6’5” 210 lbs.
Born- 9/29/2004
Home – Rowley, MA
There has never been a left handed high school pitcher selected in the first round from Massachusetts in the MLB draft. Thomas White is looking to end that streak this season. The 6’5” 210 lbs. pitcher has been dominant at Phillips Academy.
White has been on pro and college scouts' radar since he was a 13-year-old, entering the 8th grade. He was dominant at a showcase that summer, and his pitches were clocked at 91 mph. White had his freshman season canceled due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and his sophomore year was limited due to a modified schedule. Overall, in his three seasons for Phillips Academy, he went 7-2 with a 0.60 ERA and struck out 125 batters in 58 ⅔ innings, walking only 29.
White was very impressive in front of scouts in both the Prospect Development Pipeline and the East Coast Pro Showcase in 2022. He committed to Vanderbilt and may cost a team an over slot price tag to keep him from attending.
White is 6’5” and can hit 98 on the radar gun with relative ease. His changeup sits in the low 80’s and when this pitch is located, he becomes a dominant strikeout pitcher. His curveball is still a work in progress, but it is thrown in the upper 70’s and at times, has good movement. He will be a future three-pitch strikeout pitcher in the pros.
On the downside, he had issues with command last summer. As a pitcher, he has a lot of “moving parts” in his mechanics and at times, he does not repeat his same delivery.
Draft 412 enjoyed watching the videos on Thomas White, and a pitcher immediately came to mind for comparisons. Chris Sale has the same lanky body and quirky mechanics but could hit upper 90’s early in his career.
Final Analysis
Draft 412 has Thomas White as the #1 lefty available in this draft class. If White starts to drop toward the late first round, a team may need to pay over slot value to keep him from becoming a Commodore. White is the type of pitcher who could attend college and possibly be a top 5 pick in 3 years.
Round 1- #17 on Draft 412’s big board.