The Marlins have signed supplemental first-round pick Thomas White, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports. The sides came to an agreement on a $4,100,000 signing bonus, a figure first reported by Kevin Barral of Fish On First. That figure checks in far above the $2,420,900 slot value of the 35th overall pick with which White was selected.
White, 18, is a left-handed pitcher selected out of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Coming into the draft, most evaluators saw White, who was widely considered to be the top southpaw in this year’s draft class, as a clear first-round talent. Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him 27th in the class, as did Fangraphs, while MLB Pipeline had him slightly higher at 24th. Baseball America, meanwhile, is highest on White, placing him 19th in the class. That being said, Law noted that there were concerns headed into draft day regarding whether White would sign with a club or honor his commitment to Vanderbilt.
The 6-foot-5, 210 pound lefty sports a mid-90s fastball and a quality three-pitch mix including a curveball and changeup that both draw plus grades from various services, though the curveball is generally better regarded than the changeup. White’s primary flaw is widely considered to be his command, which most services view as below average. Still, if his command evens out, prospect evaluators seem to be largely in agreement that White has front-of-the-rotation potential.
White’s selection continues the Marlins’ tendency of selecting pitchers in the first round in recent years. In addition to white, Miami selected right-hander Noble Meyer in the first round of this year’s draft. In previous years, the fish have selected right-hander Max Meyer (2020) along with left-handers Trevor Rogers (2017) and Braxton Garrett (2016) with their first round picks.
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