Previously a pitcher for Boys Baseball, Thomas White ’23 now competes at the Triple-A level with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Miami Marlins’ affiliate team. At Andover, White was the 2022 and 2023 Baseball Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, also contributing as a cornerstone to the Boys Baseball’s 2022 NEPSAC Championship victory. Multiple dominant outings throughout his career thus far have resulted in his current position as the 17th-ranked player in the MLB’s Prospect Rankings.
On July 23, 2023, Thomas White was selected 35th overall by the Miami Marlins in the MLB Draft. Choosing to forgo his commitment to play Division I baseball at Vanderbilt University, White instead decided to sign with the Miami Marlins for a $4.1 million bonus, gaining a head start on his professional baseball career. While the opportunity to play professionally is a dream opportunity, the college experience is often something that players cherish. White shared his thought-process in this difficult decision.
“There are some things I have given up in choosing pro baseball over college. For example, living amongst a bunch of other students like myself, playing for the college national championship, and of course college parties. The opportunity to start at a younger age than most is one I couldn’t pass up. I take baseball more seriously than going to parties anyway haha. I also think that Andover had prepared me to know how to live on my own at a young age, so I felt really comfortable with that decision to start my career early,” wrote White in an email to The Phillipian.
Now a professional baseball player, White’s yearly schedule has changed, and White described his new day-to-day life and training routine in comparison to his time at Andover.
“The biggest difference [from my time at Andover] is that baseball is less of a hobby and more of a full-time job. During spring training and the season[,] I’m at the field for 8+ hours everyday. Most of the time it’s a lot longer. We play games 6 days a week with 1 off day on Mondays. We don’t have more than 1 off day in a row except for the All-Star break. It’s a nonstop grind from February to October. We play 160+ games when it’s all said and done. In high school it’s for fun, but now it’s for real. It’s amazing to play a game I love for a job, but it’s also a grind, and there’s always someone coming to try and take your spot. So it’s stressful, but that’s the beauty and this is what I’ve always wanted to do with my life so I love every minute of it,” wrote White.
Since being drafted, White has quickly worked his way through the minor leagues, moving from Single-A to Triple-A baseball in just two years. He described the pride he felt after winning the Triple-A championship in late September, in which the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp defeated the Las Vegas Aviators 8–7.
“It’s definitely been a fun experience so far, winning the Triple-A championship is something I’ll never forget. It’s also fun because the average player age in Triple-A is almost 30. So I’ve had fun with the challenge of playing against guys much older than me. At the end of the day it’s the last level in the way of playing in the big leagues. So it’s a cool feeling knowing that I’m at the last stop before Miami,” wrote White.
