Former LSU National Championship Star Left Off Spring Training Roster

Baseball is a weird sport. Not the game itself, its pretty easy to follow the basics. But the way a player can be playing poorly, then without explanation they can suddenly become an All Star. Which can go the other way too, where an All Star suddenly can't get a hit for months. Predicting talent in baseball...that's what's weird.

So we shouldn't be shocked when a "can't miss" LSU product is already getting left off his MLB team's Spring Training roster after being labeled a "top prospect".

Tommy White is one of the best hitters the LSU baseball program has ever seen. His raw power earned him a spot in the Top 10 home run hitters in the history of Division 1 college baseball. He ended his college career with 75 home runs in three seasons, and could have made a legit run at 100 if he would have stayed in Baton Rouge.

But the call of the MLB Draft was pulling White to the pro ranks. That calling wasn't wrong, as White was picked 40th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics. From the moment he was picked, many considered him to be one of the Athletics top prospects in their farm system.

But after just 107 plate appearances at Single-A, the team might have changed their opinion of White. At the Single-A level, White hit for a .224 average, with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 14 RBIs, with 9 walks and 21 strike outs. Which isn't surprising for someone who just played a full NCAA baseball season (with an aluminum bat) who is asked to immediately jump to professional pitching with a wooden bat.

While there were instant grumblings upon White's draft selection that he can't run, or play third base at the MLB level, everyone knows he wasn't picked that high in the draft because he was gonna steal bases. His defense at third was decent at LSU, and you would think that professional coaches would be able to further train a player of his caliber to play a spot. But MLB coaches haven't really been into "coaching" for the last 10 years...they prefer to just read an iPad and tell you if the computer said you were good or not.

But now, heading into Spring Training, White is nowhere to be found on the roster. He's not on the 40-man, and he's was left off the non-roster invitees list. As of right now, its projected that White will be left far away from the big league club. Reports say he will still be with the Stockton Ports in Single-A when live action starts.

If Tommy White can start swinging a hot bat in Stockton, the A's are a franchise that isn't afraid to fast track players to the majors. Shortstop Jacob Wilson was picked in the 2023 MLB Draft, and saw MLB time in the 2024 season. So its not impossible for White to see the majors in 2024, but he's got a lot of work ahead of him, without the benefit of big league Spring Training.