Elijah Thomas White (born June 26, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.
| Eli White | |
|---|---|
White with the Nashville Sounds in 2019 | |
| Texas Rangers – No. 41 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1994-06-26) June 26, 1994 (age 28) Greenville, South Carolina | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 2020, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Batting average | .185 |
| Home runs | 9 |
| Runs batted in | 28 |
| Teams | |
| |
White attended Wren High School in Piedmont, South Carolina.[1] He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 26th round of the 2013 MLB draft but did not sign.[2] He attended Clemson University and played college baseball for the Tigers.[3] He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 37th round of the 2015 MLB draft, but again did not sign and returned to Clemson.[4] White played for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2015.[5][6] After his junior season, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB draft and signed for a $100,000 signing bonus.[7]
White spent his first professional season with the Arizona League Athletics and Vermont Lake Monsters, hitting .275 with two home runs and 25 RBIs in 56 games.[8][9] He played for the Stockton Ports in 2017, hitting .270 with four home runs and 36 RBIs in 115 games.[9] In 2018, he played for the Midland RockHounds,[10] slashing .306/.388/.450 with nine home runs, 55 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases in 130 games.[9][11] After the 2018 season, he played in the Arizona Fall League for the Mesa Solar Sox.[12]
On December 21, 2018, the Rangers acquired White from the Athletics as part of a three team deal in which the Rangers also acquired Kyle Bird, Brock Burke, Yoel Espinal, and $750,000 of international signing bonus pool space, the Rays acquired Emilio Pagán, Rollie Lacy, and a competitive balance pick in the 2019 MLB draft, and the Athletics acquired Jurickson Profar.[13]
In 2019, White played for the Nashville Sounds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.[14] White's season ended early on August 20, when he suffered a shoulder injury after crashing into an outfield wall.[15] White produced a .253/.320/.418/.738 slash line with 14 home runs and 43 RBI over 116 games in 2019.[16][9]
On September 1, 2020, White made his MLB debut against the Houston Astros.[17] Over 19 games with Texas in 2020, White hit .188 with 3 RBI.
On June 16, 2021, White hit his first and second career home runs, the first one off of Houston Astros starting pitcher Zack Greinke, and the second off of Astros starter-turn reliever Cristian Javier.[18] He spent 20 games with the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A West in 2021, hitting .343/.450/.537/.987 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs.
In 64 games with Texas in 2021, he hit .177/.259/.308/.567 with 6 home runs and 15 RBIs. In 2021, he had the fastest sprint speed of all major league left fielders, at 30.5 feet/second.[19] He underwent Internal Brace surgery on his right elbow on September 8, 2021.[20]