A's put emphasis on power with Day 1 selections
Oakland drafts LSU teammates 3B White, LHP Jump to wrap first day
Martšªn Gallegos
@MartinJGallegosPower was a clear theme for the A¡¯s on Day 1 of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Following their selection of Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz at No. 4 on Sunday night, the A¡¯s took LSU third baseman Tommy White with pick No. 40 in the second round of the Draft.
There¡¯s a reason why White earned the nickname ¡°Tommy Tanks¡± in college. Across three seasons, beginning at North Carolina State in 2022 and continuing at LSU from 2023-24, White slugged 75 home runs and posted a 1.123 OPS in 187 games.
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Between Kurtz and White, the A¡¯s added a total of 136 college home runs with their first two picks of the night.
The two also bring experience playing in big-game atmospheres, having both led their clubs to the 2023 College World Series. Kurtz and White even squared off in the semifinals of the tournament that year, with White prevailing and going on to lead LSU to a national championship in a starring role alongside Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who went on to become the first two picks in the 2023 MLB Draft.
¡°Certainly, on a macro level, it¡¯s nice to see them perform in some of the best leagues in the country,¡± said A¡¯s scouting director Eric Kubota. ¡°We all saw Tommy on TV [in 2023] carrying his team to the College World Series. We¡¯ve seen Nick against some of the best pitching in the country. Nick also had the fortune, or misfortune, of having to scrimmage against [Wake Forest teammate] Chase Burns. Level of competition does add a comfort level.¡±
White, who was rated the Draft¡¯s No. 20 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has had his defense knocked by scouts in the past, with reports projecting him as likely to end up at first base or even strictly as a designated hitter. What the A¡¯s saw from him at third base this season, however, leads them to believe he has a chance to stick at the hot corner as a professional.
¡°We think he made a lot of strides at third base this year,¡± Kubota said. ¡°I think he heard people were questioning his defense and he really applied himself to it, and we felt it showed.¡±
Of course, White¡¯s bat was the main draw.
¡°He was one of the best college hitters in the Draft,¡± Kubota said. ¡°It was a little different situation for him this year because he did not have Dylan Crews hitting behind him. He probably didn¡¯t see as many pitches. But we just think Tommy is a really advanced hitter with big power, as his numbers would attest.¡±
Despite feeling a bit snakebitten by the first two years of the new MLB Draft Lottery system due to carrying the best odds to come away with the first overall pick, yet falling out of the top three twice, the A¡¯s are feeling optimistic by how it all has played out. Last year¡¯s No. 6 selection netted them shortstop Jacob Wilson, who now ranks as Oakland¡¯s No. 1 prospect (No. 50 overall) and is batting over .400 with Triple-A Las Vegas.
¡°We¡¯re super excited with what Jacob is doing,¡± Kubota said. ¡°As disappointed as we were both years with the lottery, we ended up coming out of it pretty well. All credit to Jacob. I don¡¯t think any of us predicted he¡¯d be doing what he¡¯s doing in Triple-A right now. ¡ We¡¯re really excited about putting Tommy White and Kurtz amongst that group of Wilson and some of these other guys we have coming along. We¡¯re excited to see where that whole group takes us.¡±
Jump is a player the A¡¯s were plenty familiar with from his days as a top high school pitching prospect in Southern California. Following his freshman year at UCLA, Jump underwent Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of 2023 before transferring to LSU and bouncing back well in 2024 by posting a 3.47 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 83 innings across 17 games (15 starts) in 2024.
¡°We saw progression from what we had seen in high school,¡± Kubota said. ¡°We really liked him in high school. He did miss all that time. But in some ways, some of us would say he¡¯s got less innings on his arm and things like that. We saw progression, both physically and the stuff and how he uses it.¡±