Thomas White is without doubt one of the recreation’s high pitching prospects. Drafted thirty fifth total in 2023 by the Miami Marlins out of an Andover, Massachusetts highschool, the 21-year-old southpaw is ranked ninth on our newly-released 2026 Prime 100 Prospects checklist as a 60-FV prospect. Furthermore, solely two pitchers rank in entrance of him, neither of whom throws left-handed.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound hurler has grown as a pitcher since he was first featured right here at FanGraphs in an August 2024 Sunday Notes column. Which isn’t to say he hadn’t already been making a reputation for himself. White, who was taking the mound for the Excessive-A Beloit Sky Carp once I first spoke with him, ranked as Miami’s no. 4 prospect that summer time, with Eric Longenhagen citing each his mid-90s fastball and plus slider when assigning him a forty five+ FV. Our lead prospect analyst did embrace a caveat in that writeup: “He has affect starter upside and carries with him the dangers typical of a unstable teenage pitching prospect.”
A year-and-a-half later, White is coming off of a 2025 season throughout which he dominated hitters to the tune of a 2.31 ERA, a 2.27 FIP, and an eye-opening 38.6% strikeout price throughout three ranges. He completed the 12 months with the Triple-A Jacksonville, and whereas he’s anticipated to return there to start out the upcoming marketing campaign, he shouldn’t be a Jumbo Shrimp for lengthy. Possessing one of many highest ceilings amongst his prospect contemporaries, White is on the doorstep of the massive leagues.
White mentioned the continued growth of his arsenal, and the mechanical tweaks he’s not too long ago made to his supply, in a latest cellphone dialog.
———
David Laurila: We first talked earlier than a recreation at West Michigan, if you had been enjoying within the Midwest League. Exterior of being 18 months older and presumably 18 months smarter, has something modified for you as a pitcher?
You Aren’t a FanGraphs Member
It seems to be such as you aren’t but a FanGraphs Member (or aren’t logged in). We aren’t mad, simply upset.
We get it. You need to learn this text. However earlier than we allow you to get again to it, we might prefer to level out just a few of the great the reason why it’s best to turn into a Member.
1. Advert Free viewing! We cannot bug you with this advert, or another.
2. Limitless articles! Non-Members solely get to learn 10 free articles a month. Members by no means get reduce off.
3. Darkish mode and Traditional mode!
4. Customized participant web page dashboards! Select the participant playing cards you need, within the order you need them.
5. One-click information exports! Export our projections and leaderboards in your private initiatives.
6. Take away the images on the house web page! (Actually, this does not sound so nice to us, however some individuals wished it, and we like to present our Members what they need.)
7. Much more Steamer projections! We’ve handedness, percentile, and context impartial projections accessible for Members solely.
8. Get FanGraphs Stroll-Off, a personalized 12 months finish evaluate! Discover out precisely the way you used FanGraphs this 12 months, and the way that compares to different Members. Do not be a sufferer of FOMO.
9. A weekly mailbag column, solely for Members.
10. Assist assist FanGraphs and our total workers! Our Members present us with crucial assets to enhance the location and ship new options!
We hope you will contemplate a Membership at the moment, for your self or as a present! And we understand this has been an awfully lengthy gross sales pitch, so we have additionally eliminated all the opposite advertisements on this article. We did not need to overdo it.
Thomas White: “I imply, there was a variety of mechanical stuff and a bit of little bit of strategy. Aside from that, nothing revolutionary, I might say.”
Laurila: Are you able to deal with the mechanical modifications?
White: “I took some modifications into the 2025 season, however these had been comparatively [minor]. The large modifications I’ve labored on have principally been this offseason. I’ve type of gotten again nearer to how I naturally throw. I’ve gotten my stride to be virtually a foot longer. I’ve gained again a variety of extension I used to have. I’ve gotten again to my decrease three-quarters slot, excessive extension, a variety of carry.
“Once more, I wouldn’t say they had been revolutionary modifications, however I’m getting again nearer to how I naturally throw. For those who had been taking a look at video from once I was 15 [years old], after which from final 12 months, it’s so totally different. It’s type of loopy. This 12 months, it’s about making an attempt to get someplace in between all of the stuff that I discovered by way of highschool and into my professional profession, type of mated along with what I naturally do fairly effectively.”
Laurila: How did you get away from what you do naturally?
White: “When you get into professional ball, there turn into a variety of cooks within the kitchen. Generally that may mess with some guys. Going into the 2025 season, I used to be engaged on moving into my again leg a bit of bit higher, and I feel I overcooked it a bit of bit. I virtually began doing it an excessive amount of. I created this virtually Darvish-like coil that shortened my stride. The arm timing was later. The entrance aspect was pulling out a bit of bit. My extension dropped bit. I additionally had again points towards the top of the season, particularly my final six begins, I might say.
“There was a variety of east-movement and never a variety of north-south, so I actually simply labored lots on path and timing stuff, getting my momentum shifting towards the plate. It began to naturally come again and mix itself into what I ended the offseason at.”
Laurila: The place is your extension now, and the place was it final season?
White: “After I received drafted, it was in all probability round 6-6, and final season I’m fairly certain it was like 6-foot or 6-2. On TrackMan — this won’t be probably the most correct factor — I’ve gotten to 7-foot-1 up to now this previous offseason. I’m averaging about 6-7, 6-8. I’m feeling lots higher there, staying behind the ball lots higher.”
Laurila: I recall you telling me in West Michigan that you just had been within the strategy of gaining a greater understanding of pitch metrics. How a lot have you ever grown in that space?
White: “I wouldn’t say I’m a TrackMan warrior or something, however I’ve grown to know learn how to use one, and the way every metric impacts my pitches. I wouldn’t say that I might design a pitch primarily based off of TrackMan, however I do know that my fastball carries higher if I can preserve the lean at 11:15. If it’s 10:45, meaning my arm might be a bit of bit late and the ball goes to have a bit of extra run to it. If I can get that tilt to 11:00 or 11:15, I’m going to get 18, 19, 20 vert, which is what I’m in search of.”
Laurila: Are you chasing… that could be too robust a phrase. Are you making an attempt to attain sure metrics in your pitches?
White: “Such as you mentioned, chase is a little bit of a powerful phrase. However there are some targets. My fastball performs higher on the high of the zone, and clearly extra vert performs higher on the high of the zone. These metrics, together with my pitching type and the way I throw, play effectively. They usually play effectively off the remainder of my arsenal. So the extra vert the higher, however I’m not going to say I’m chasing a particular loopy quantity.
“It can assist, too, that my launch top is a bit of bit decrease than it was final 12 months. Even when the vert is type of the identical, it would nonetheless appear to be a bit of bit extra due to the decrease slot.”
Laurila: Are you able to elaborate in your arm slot?
White: “My supply top was everywhere final 12 months. At some factors it was 6-3; at some factors it was 5-7. I ended the 12 months in all probability round 6-foot, possibly 6-1. Proper now I’m averaging round 5-8, 5-9.”
Laurila: Is there a candy spot that you just and pitching workers have decided?
White: “It’s someplace between the place I’m now and 6-foot, which is the very best I might need to go. As soon as I get above that, the carry will get actually good on my fastball, however the remainder of my pitches undergo from it.”
Laurila: Your sweeper slider is one thing else we talked about at West Michigan. How has that progressed?
White: “It’s gone by way of a few iterations. I’ve a brand new grip for it as of final 12 months. It’s had some inconsistencies, however towards the top of the 12 months, I actually began to determine it out. It strikes comparatively the identical — possibly with a bit of extra horizontal — however the huge factor is that I’m throwing it lots more durable. I’ve been as much as 87. My objective had been to common 83-84 mph. After we final talked, it averaged possibly 80.
“The velo is the extra vital half. When it comes to the horizontal, it type of is dependent upon the day. If I’m actually feeling it, it will likely be exhausting and have some good horizontal. I might say the worst — the dangerous days now — are fairly much like what it was in Excessive-A. I don’t know precisely what I’ve been averaging, though the largest one has been 22. The common isn’t near that.
“The candy spot… mine has all the time been a bit of bit slurvy, so the candy spot could be round 16 horizontal. If it’s 16 horizontal and I can throw it 84-85, I really feel actually good about that motion. I don’t suppose I should be Joe Ryan with a 30-inch sweeper.”
Laurila: What in regards to the vertical? You talked about slurvy, however are you making an attempt to be across the zero line?
White: “I had some factors final 12 months the place it was near that. The objective firstly of the season was to get it near the zero, however I personally have expertise with this — a few of the metrics have backed it up a bit of, too — and it’s a bit of higher when it really has a bit of little bit of depth to it, a bit of two-plane. So, my objective might be -5, -6.”
Laurila: Are you continue to throwing a gyro slider?
White: “Yeah, I nonetheless have that. I’ve been operating into some points with it not being as exhausting as I’d prefer it be. The motion is the place I would like it, it’s simply that I wish to have it’s 88-90, and proper now it’s 86-87. Being a pronator, typically I’ve a little bit of a tough time getting the velo on it. It’s a piece in progress by way of that.”
Laurila: You had been throwing a two-seam changeup once we talked final. Has something modified there?
White: “I nonetheless have a two-seam grip, however I throw the kick-change now. After I was in Excessive-A, it was extra of a run pitch — I relied extra on it operating off the plate than on depth — and we’ve modified the philosophy to get depth on the pitch, and never fear about how a lot it runs.”
Laurila: Marlins pitching coach Daniel Moskos described the group’s pitching philosophy to me as “throw nasty strikes,” with an emphasis on attacking the center of the zone and letting your stuff play. Is that principally your strategy?
White: “Just about. They’ve been hammering that, particularly to the fellows who stroll extra individuals than all people would love. Yeah, that’s principally what they’ve been preaching.”
Laurila: How would you grade your command?
White: “I don’t suppose my command is just too dangerous. I are likely to have innings, or batters, the place I lose it, however then it comes proper again. My downside is that typically I are likely to fiddle with hitters as an alternative of simply placing them away by simply throwing it proper within the zone. I simply want that consistency. If I’m forward of fellows, I’ve to only put them away and never attempt to get too cute with it.”
Laurila: Any closing ideas?
White: “There have been a variety of modifications final 12 months. The floor numbers had been good, however total, I don’t suppose it was nearly as good of a season for me as possibly the numbers would counsel. I attempt to maintain myself to a fairly excessive commonplace. I made a variety of modifications — a few of them good, a variety of them in all probability not so good — so I used to be excited to get into the lab this offseason. My participant plan was consistency. I had a variety of actually good pitches final 12 months — I clipped a variety of actually great things — it’s simply that my consistency and my potential to repeat it wasn’t the place I wished it to be, or the place the org wished it to be. So it was, what can I do to seek out these constant motion varieties that make my pitches nearly as good as they are often?”