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Lugnuts' Tommy White prepares to bat against Michigan State in the first inning on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, during the Crosstown Showdown at Jackson Field in Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A's Prospect Tommy White Achieves New Feat in Fall League

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 10:00 AM ET

When the A's selected third baseman Tommy White with the 40th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, the front office believed that despite some of the concern about him defensively at the position, that he'd be able to stick at third base.

There was never concern about his bat. On Saturday in the Arizona Fall League, White delivered the first multi-homer game of his young pro career in his 126th game. He went 3-for-6 in this one, with those two homers and seven RBI, and with less baseball going on at this time of year, those types of performances tend to get people to perk up a little bit and take notice.

He'd entered the game 0-for-17 in his last five games, which led him to working in the cage a bit, according to MLB.com, and that got him to shorten up his swing. The results were on full display in Mesa's 11-10 win over Surprise.

His nickname at LSU was "Tommy Tanks" for his home run prowess, starting out at NC State, before transferring to LSU for his final two years. He ended up hitting a combined 75 home runs—topping out at 27 his freshman year—in 187 college games.

Tommy Tanks in the Minors

Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

White went on to debut with the Stockton Ports last season, hitting .224 with a .303 OBP and two tanks.

He began his first full year of pro ball in Hi-A Lansing, where he batted .260 with a .326 OBP and 11 homers. Lansing can be a difficult place to play, especially early in the season, due to the cold weather that can last into May. White provided his own warmth, and was batting .320 with the Lugnuts when May ended.

He'd miss about 10 days to begin June, and his production dipped a bit in Lansing when he returned. Then the A's promoted him to Double-A Midland where he ended up hitting .311 with a .354 on-base and a home run in 27 games. Most of that damage came in August, as he continued to struggle with an injury in September.

Those injuries are why he's in the Fall League now, making up for lost at-bats.

What's Next for Tommy White?

Brian Calloway | Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The first step will likely be a return to Midland, at least to begin the season. With the big-league roster having a somewhat fluid third base situation, one of Max Muncy, Brett Harris or Darell Hernaiz will likely start in the minors next season. Two of those three players would figure to get a decent amount of work at third base, with Hernaiz being the potential exception.

With White only getting 27 games at Double-A, he doesn't need to be rushed to Triple-A just yet, though a hot spring could accelerate that process.

From there, White's production, and his defense, will determine how quickly he proceeds. His strikeout rates have been solid, topping out at 15% this season with the RockHounds, so it's likely a matter of consistency and tapping into that power a bit more for him.

Depending on how the A's offseason goes and how they attack the open slot at the hot corner, there could be a spot for White to seize heading into the 2027 campaign. He's currently ranked as the team's No. 7 prospect on MLB Pipeline, and he's showing plenty of promise in his first full year of pro ball.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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