NC State freshman Tommy White keeps hitting home runs, adding buzz amid MLB lockout
Baseball needed a hero.
With Major League Baseball embroiled in an owners-vs.-players stalemate, the sport needed a new face, someone casual fans could latch onto and cheer for.
Enter Tommy White, a long-ball-hitting, mullet-sporting freshman first baseman for N.C. State.
White’s legend seems to grow with each plate appearance. Through the first two weeks of the season, he has become must-see TV. Thousands of fans have flocked to Doak Field each weekend to see what White — known colloquially as ‘Tommy Tanks’ — will do next.
White has been named Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Week twice already. He has nine home runs, 20 hits and 29 RBIs, leading the NCAA in all three categories. He also ranks second in runs scored (18) and slugging percentage (1.412).
White has generated a buzz around Raleigh, and beyond.
“I don’t think anyone would have expected him to hit the ground running as much as he has,” said an MLB scout speaking to The News & Observer on the condition of anonymity. “He’s an impactful player.”
White (6’0, 242) came to N.C. State from IMG Academy in Florida. IMG plays top notch competition, so White was facing quality pitching at that level. But nobody could have expected this.
In his first at-bat, against Evansville, White went yard. He hit two more home runs in that game alone, and he had five home runs on opening weekend. Not bad for a player who afterward told the media he was just trying to get his feet wet.
White had four more home runs last weekend against Quinnipiac. With every home run, social media blows up, everyone racing to talk about the latest exploits of Tommy Tanks.
“I think he hit the sweet spot there, too,” the MLB scout told the N&O. “People are starved for baseball, and college baseball has some upward momentum, and here is a dude who looks like a beer league softball player. I mean, how many college freshmen did you know in college who had the full beard, the double gold chains, the mullet? I think everything is working for him.”
Power at the plate
Carlos Collazo is a draft writer for Baseball America. Collazo watched White in high school and like anyone who has seen him play, the power at the plate is the first thing that jumps off the page.
“In addition to the raw power that he has,” Collazo said, “he’s constantly looking to do damage at the plate.”
Collazo added that before the season, if he had to pick a freshman to come out the gates like this, it would have been White.
“He was one of the more physically impressive and just powerful hitters from the high school class a year ago,” Collazo said.
After his senior season at IMG, White was named an All-American by Under Armour and Perfect Game. He was also the Under Armour home run derby champion. Shocker.
According to the MLB scout who spoke with the N&O, White was on the league’s radar last year, on their top 200 list. The source added that it’s hard for a high school first baseman to get drafted high enough where it’s worth it to skip college. That made White a home run recruit for Elliott Avent and N.C. State.
“From N.C. State’s standpoint he’s just perfect,” the scout said. “A guy who’s ready to hit college level pitching. Every scout I’ve talked to thinks he’s going to rake for three years. He’s going to hit and hit for power and be a real force.”
And it’s not just the power with White. He’s instincts are very high at the plate.
“He has a real feel for the barrel,” the source said. “He’s very skilled with a bat.”
What most want to see now is how he’ll do against pitchers in conference play. Evansville and Quinnipiac had decent pitchers, but nothing like what White will see in ACC play.
“I know a lot of scouts will be weighing that performance more heavily than the early season performance,” Collazo said. “But I mean, so far he’s done well against some solid pitching.”
N.C. State doesn’t play its first ACC series until March 11, when it welcomes Notre Dame to Doak Field. By then extra seats may need to be added to the stadium to fit all the fans who want to get an up-close look at Tommy Tanks.
“I’m a believer in his bat,” the MLB scout said. “I think most of the scouts I’ve talked to are. He’s got the advanced hitting approach.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 5:20 AM.
