Thomas White named Marlins' Pitcher of the Year and High-A MVP

[Alex Carver]

Thomas White is good and he knows it. He dazzled in 2024 and wants to do even more in 2025.

Thomas White looked down at two pieces of new hardware that were presented to him by Miami Marlins' brass on Saturday afternoon at loanDepot park. In his first full professional season, White double-dipped as High-A Beloit's MVP and the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. For the 19-year-old left-hander, this would be a surreal moment, yet he keeps his composure throughout the ceremony, wearing a sly grin. He speaks in a calm and collected tone as he poses for photos with his family and accepts handshakes. He is the epitome of confidence.

From the outset, new Marlins executives Gabe Kapler and Rachel Balkovec promised to aggressively challenge players who impress them. White was no exception. After a very impressive spring training, White spent just eight games in Low-A Jupiter before being assigned to Beloit. There, over 13 games, he was absolutely electric. Pitching to a 2.81 ERA via a 76/21 K/BB, White was one of the best pitchers on his circuit. He took the challenge of adjusting to a new league and new level about as well as he possibly could have.

"Guys hit some mistakes a little bit better. I had a little streak of three home runs in three weeks, but I felt those outings were really good and I made one mistake and they made me pay for it," White said of differences he noticed between the two levels. "Getting used to that and obviously thats something I'll get better at as I get older."

After settling in at the High-A level, Thomas White was automatic as he aced the Sky Carp rotation. From July 5 through August 29, White went five innings in each of seven starts while only giving up one run. White attributed his ability to stay consistent to his pitching coach, Jason Erickson.

"I thought (he) was great for me; especially coming up there we tried to really just continue what I was doing well in Jupiter while also making some adjustments."

One of White’s biggest focuses this season was improving the consistency of his control. After starting the season with a 10.9% walk rate through the month of May, White held down a 7.8% walk rate from June through the end of the season.

”(Control) started out okay, and then middle to end of the year it got really, really way better for me,” White said. “Starting to do more dry work on the mound, getting on the mound every day and getting more comfortable out there is really what contributed to it.”

As good as White was in 2024 and as many accolades as he earned including becoming the Marlins' unanimous top prospect, he has plans to do even more in 2025. Working towards that season will start very soon and will include adding around seven more pounds of mass and furthering knowledge of his body.

"I'm hoping to put on a little bit more weight and kind of get to where I want to be and then just focus on being explosive," White said. "Now that I know what its like to go through a full season, where I get sore and when I get tired, kind of just building on those specific areas."

White also spoke of improving his already-impressive arsenal.

"The changeup in general and then kind of honing in on slider," White said of improvements he wants to make to existing pitches. "It was really good at the end of the year when I was able to get it to 83-84, but when it starts to slow down and kind of gets to 80-81, it gets a little more sweeper-y, rather than a tight slider."

White isn't stopping at just perfecting his existing pitches. He wants to add another one: a cutter he said he would like to resemble Garrett Crochet's. White believes the addition of a new pitch will allow him to mix speeds more advantageously and keep hitters even more off balance.

"A nice bridge pitch would be nice," White said. "A hard cutter type thing; maybe a hard slider/soft cutter just to kind of have the fastball at 96, the changeup at like 84 and the slider also at 84."

Stuff and physicality aren't the only things that stick out about White. According to Rachel Balkovec, he also showed that he has it between the ears.

"You talk about maturity," Balkovec said. "It's stunning to think of his age and how he carries himself on the mound and how much of a leader he is in the clubhouse."

If the club continues to challenge White, he could make his upper minors debut in 2025. From there, the possibility of him making his MLB debut the following year is real.

View full article