Athletics’ Community Prospect List: Tommy White has much to prove at #11

Narrowly edging out Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang by just five votes, Tommy White finally found a resting spot at #11 on Athletics Nation’s Community Prospect List. Having just been selected 40th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, you’d think he’d be ranked much higher on this list; MLB Pipeline has him 4th while Fangraphs ranked him 9th. Unfortunately, a rough professional debut at Low-A — especially for a 21-year-old advertised as a guaranteed bat — had AN questioning his nomination from the start.

2024 stats (A): 107 PA, .224/.303/.299, 2 doubles, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 9 BB, 21 K, 0 SB

However, it’s not rare for prospects to look inept in their first exposure to professional pitching and go on to be perfectly fine in the long run. Despite being known mostly for his power, White’s overall hitting ability shouldn’t be overlooked. Across his three years in college, the slugger hit .355/.419/.704 with a promising 14.5% strikeout rate. There are legitimate questions about his ability to man third base but the A’s have chalked some of his struggles up to a bad shoulder and insist that he’ll get there.

New to the nominations for #12 is 25-year-old J.T. Ginn. Acquired in the Chris Bassitt trade, the right-hander made his major league debut late last season and famously had the honor of getting the last start — and W — at the Oakland Coliseum. Ginn hasn’t excelled in his time in the A’s system but he seemed to take a step forward with the major league club, performing capably across eight games, which Fangraphs acknowledged by bumping him from 15th all the way up to 5th. He’ll have stiff competition in Zhuang, the last poll’s runner-up, and Gunnar Hoglund, the longest-tenured nominee.

The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:

• Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
• If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
• If you wish to nominate a prospect for the next round, clearly comment, “Nomination: (player)” and fellow readers will upvote your comment.

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A’s fans top prospects, ranked:

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1: Jacob Wilson, SS

2: Nick Kurtz, 1B

3. Luis Morales, RHP

4. Denzel Clarke, OF

5. Max Muncy, SS

6. Colby Thomas, OF

7. Mason Barnett, RHP

8. Jack Perkins, RHP

9. Henry Bolte, OF

10. Steven Echavarria, RHP

11. Tommy White, 3B

The voting continues now! Here’s a quick rundown on each one — the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline (last updated mid-2024).

Nominees on the current ballot:

Gunnar Hoglund, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age 24

2024 stats (AA): 2.84 ERA, 104 2⁄3 IP, 97 K, 27 BB, 12 HR, 4.02 FIP

2024 stats (AAA): 5.88 ERA, 26 IP, 22 K, 10 BB, 5 HR, 5.91 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 60 | Overall: 45

There was a thought that Hoglund came to the A’s with arguably the best pure stuff of any pitcher in the organization. Since then, he has yet to regain the fastball velocity that sat around 95-96 mph pre-surgery, topping out at 92-93 last season. His repertoire also includes a slider around 83-84 mph as his main secondary pitch, while his low-80s changeup and curveball provide different looks against hitters.

The A’s still have hope for Hoglund to develop into a quality Major League starter, mainly for his ability to consistently throw strikes. Entering his second year removed from Tommy John, the A’s will wait and see whether his velocity can get back to where it was, which could help accelerate his path this season.

Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP

Expected level: AA | Age 24

2024 stats (A): 1.67 ERA, 32 1⁄3 IP, 37 K, 4 BB, 1 HR, 2.65 FIP

2024 stats (A+): 2.56 ERA, 31 2⁄3 IP, 29 K, 3 BB, 2 HR, 2.72 FIP

2024 stats (AA): 2.05 ERA, 22 IP, 18 K, 5 BB, 2 HR, 3.77 FIP

MLB Pipeline foolishly still doesn’t have Zhuang in its Top 30 prospects, so here’s the scouting report from Nathaniel Stoltz at Excessive Prospect Analysis, who ranked him 10th last season:

Zhuang is starting to get a bit of buzz this year, but as I’ve written and this ranking reinforces, I think he’s probably the most underrated prospect in the system (One could argue some of the unknown Rookie-level guys get that honor, but that’s semantics). He’s dominated when healthy, and fundamentally I start at the same place here as I did with Jack Perkins at 11: I’ve got a ton of confidence in Zhuang’s two primary offerings. In this case, that’s his carrying mid-90s fastball and his changeup/splitter/both/whatever you want to make of his offspeeds, which have been untouchable in A-ball and which he commands very well. He does a nice job balancing an aggressive approach–coming right at hitters with the heat–with all sorts of cunning, changing speeds and shapes on pitches in ways that can really hold up several times through the order.

Zhuang is only a few months shy of turning 24 and still in A-ball–due to injury layoff, certainly not performance–so he still has a lot to prove, even if I think he’ll prove it quickly. First and foremost, he’s got to prove he can stay healthy. Beyond that, there’s still the matter of his breaking stuff–particularly the harder breaking ball that keeps morphing between slider and cutter, and his extreme flyball tendency. But as I noted in the longform analysis, Zhuang’s two best pitches + command are tough for anyone in the system to equal. He looks the part of a solid midrotation starter and should be able to move up the remaining levels quickly if health allows.

Daniel Susac, C

Expected level: Double-A | Age 25

2024 stats (AA): 370 PA, .257/.300/.434, 19 doubles, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 16 BB, 96 K, 7 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

There is some athleticism to the 6-foot-4 Susac, who was a standout dual-threat quarterback in high school. His stylish swing comes with good bat-to-ball skills and an ability to drive the ball to all fields. There is some legit raw power that was touted as an amateur that the A’s hope to see emerge as he continues his transition to pro ball.

Susac’s defensive prowess was part of the package that made him such a highly ranked catcher in his Draft class. His overall catching skills, particularly his receiving, improved as his first full season went along. Lauded for his strong arm and natural leadership characteristics, he will look to continue his impact on both sides of the diamond as he progresses through the system.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS

Expected level: Double-A | Age 22

2024 stats (A,A+,AAA): 108 PA, .324/.421/.343, 2 doubles, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 12 BB, 9 K, 5 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Compact, strong and athletic, Kuroda-Grauer does a lot of things well from the right side of the plate. He almost never strikes out and seldom swings and misses, combining his contact skills with an advanced approach that points toward becoming at least an above-average hitter in the future. Utilizing an upright stance and a simple swing, he works counts and makes good swing decisions. There hasn’t been a ton of pop yet, but there is some belief he could grow into 15-homer power in the future.

While he’s not a burner, Kuroda-Grauer does run well and can steal some bases. Because of his above-average hands and actions to go along with a good internal clock, he has the chance to stick at shortstop, even though he has an arm that is just average. He could be a plus defender at second base should a move be necessary, but it’s those bat-to-ball attributes the A’s will be banking to carry him to the big leagues.

J.T. Ginn, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age 25

2024 stats (AA): 4.15 ERA, 30¹⁄₃ IP, 28 K, 10 BB, 3 HR, 4.14 FIP

2024 stats (AAA): 5.72 ERA, 72¹⁄₃ IP, 69 K, 30 BB, 10 HR, 5.22 FIP

2024 stats (MLB): 4.24 ERA, 34 IP, 29 K, 9 BB, 4 HR, 3.96 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55 | Overall: 40

Ginn’s sinking fastball has been likened to that of former A’s star Tim Hudson for its low-90s velocity with good action and ability to produce plenty of ground balls. That along with a swing-and-miss mid-80s slider gives him a strong power sinker-slider combo as his base. His third pitch is a changeup, which has improved but still can get him into trouble when the velocities become too similar to his fastball readings.

Ginn continues to demonstrate good control with low walk rates and a general ability to remain around the plate. Seemingly having overcome what was a difficult transition to a new organization, Ginn showed promise in his limited look as Major League starter. He will come into Spring Training as part of the A’s rotation mix for 2025, though he is also a candidate for a long relief role in the bullpen.

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