20 year old Thomas White, the Miami Marlins’ No. 1 prospect, threw five no hit innings, striking out ten and the Lookouts fell to the Blue Wahoos by a score of 7-4 on Saturday.
The win evened the series at 3-3, heading into Sunday’s finale. An extra game was played this week due to a makeup of a rainout in Chattanooga.
Fenwick Trimble’s grand slam in the seventh inning blew open the game to a 7-0 lead, before the Lookouts got all of their runs in the ninth.
But White set the tone by silencing the Lookouts lineup after hitting the game’s leadoff batter Edwin Arroyo. White yielded four walks and another hitter reached on an error. Like he’s done in every Double-A level start, White made big pitches with runners on base, either with his fastball approaching 98-mph or array of sweeper pitches.
White, who has risen to No. 21 ranked among all MiLB prospects across all levels, lowered his Double-A earned run average to 1.59. It was the fifth time he’s struck out nine or more batters, highlighted by the record 14 he fanned in a July 26 road start against the Knoxville Smokies.
“On top of all this, he’s a great kid. I love this kid a lot,” Prada said. “I really enjoy seeing him out there, because he has a lot of confidence. I had him two years ago (at Class A Jupiter Hammerheads) when we won there (Florida State League champions). It’s a pleasure to see him pitch.”
White, a Massachusetts native, who has risen to No. 21 ranked among all MILB prospects across all levels, lowered his Double-A earned run average to 1.59. It was the fifth time he’s struck out nine or more batters, highlighted by the record 14 he fanned in a July 26 road start against the Knoxville Smokies.
After being a compensatory, first-round pick in 2023, the No. 35th player taken overall, his rise has been steady and filled with acclaim.
“He’s throwing a lot more strikes,” Prada said. "He was good there (Class A) but inconsistent. Now, he’s really more consistent in the strike zone. He’s developing his pitches better. He’s throwing harder. He’s getting better. He is really close to being where he wants to be (Major Leagues).”
Early game run support was provided by Emaarion Boyd, who led off the third inning with a double, stole third and scored on Dub Gleed’s sacrifice fly. In the fifth, Gleed scored on Michael Snyder’s double. Snyder then singled home another run before Trimble’s bases-loaded shot into the right field berm.
It was the team’s second grand slam hit this week. Even with the win, however, the Blue Wahoos lost ground to the Montgomery Biscuits who swept a doubleheader Saturday against Biloxi to expand their lead to 3.5 games in the second-half league division race.