They don’t call him “Tommy Tanks” for nothing.
Tommy White backed up the nickname at North Carolina State in 2022, when he hit a freshman-record 27 home runs. After transferring to LSU in 2023, he hit 24 as a sophomore and added 24 more as a junior.
That gave White 75 home runs as a collegian. That is the eighth-highest total in Division I history—and is fourth most among players who spent three years on campus rather than four.
The Athletics drafted White in the second round last year. The 22-year-old third baseman opened this season at High-A Lansing, where he said he wants to concentrate on consistency.
“That’s all this game’s about—just how consistent you can be,” White said. “I have no complaints. I’m just taking it one pitch at a time, day by day, and loving life.”
So far, so good. Through the end of May, White hit .320/.400/.570 with seven homers, 15 walks and 14 strikeouts in 33 games. He landed on the injured list for nearly three weeks in May with a knee injury.
Lansing’s assistant hitting coach Cooper Goldby said the organization is excited about White.
“However, this level of pitching is going to cause some difficulties,” Goldby said, “so we’re looking for him to change his approach and to see how patient he can be in the box, because he’s usually an aggressive hitter—likes to swing a lot, likes to swing out of the zone.”
Lugnuts manager Darryl Kennedy noticed the seriousness with which White takes his craft.
“As a player, I see a guy with potential,” Kennedy said, “Big-time power, especially all over the field, not just pull-side power.”
Kennedy would like to see White solidify his defense at third base.
“Defensively, I think he’s only going to get better,” Kennedy said. “We’re working just to get a little more mobility out of him and increase his range, but I’m expecting big things out of him.”