Signed for an above-slot $1.5 million as a 2018 second-rounder from a North Carolina high school, White didn't make his pro debut until May 2021 because of Tommy John surgery in May 2019 and the pandemic shutdown. He broke his pitching hand in his first start when he slammed it on the ground after making an error, costing him two more months, but he looked spectacular while winning Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2021. He missed two months with a tired arm in 2022 and his stuff regressed last year, though he did make his big league debut and work a career-high 112 2/3 innings.
Each of White's five pitches can grade at plus or better when at their best, though that rarely has been the case in 2023 and 2024. His best offering is an upper-80s cutter that he added last year, but his low-80s slider is now more of an average offering than a weapon with two-plane break. He throws two- and four-seam fastballs that sit at 93-95, top out at 97 and get hit hard.
White has trouble landing his big-breaking upper-70s curveball and has lost some feel for his too-firm upper-80s changeup. He's throwing less strikes with his diminished stuff, though the athleticism that helped him draw interest from college football programs has translated into solid control in the past. He has shown the ingredients to become a frontline starter but not on a consistent basis.
A three-sport star as a North Carolina high schooler, White drew college football interest as a quarterback before signing with the Rangers for an above-slot $1.5 million as a 2018 second-rounder. Tommy John surgery in May 2019 and the pandemic shutdown delayed his pro debut until May 2021, when he broke his pitching hand in his first start when he slammed it on the ground after making an error, costing him three more months. He has taken off since then, winning Arizona Fall League pitcher of the year honors in 2021 and making his big league debut this summer.
White has a complete arsenal of four pitches that each can grade as at least plus when at its best, though his stuff has ticked down in 2023. His four-seam fastball has sat at 92-94 mph and topped out at 96, down about 2 mph from 2022, and features armside run and carry. His best offering may be a slider that parks at 82-86 mph and reaches 89 with a combination of horizontal action and two-plane depth, though it hasn't been as consistently sharp this year and he has had more success when he turns it into an upper-80s cutter. He imparts more downward break on an upper-70s curveball that also has lost a bit of velocity and owns a fading 86-88 mph changeup, though the latter gets too firm at times.
White was one of the more athletic pitchers in his Draft class, and that trait allows him to repeat an easy delivery -- though his strike-throwing also has regressed this year. He's an intense competitor who got to the Majors after pitching just 169 innings in the Minors. He has the ingredients to be a frontline starter if he can remain healthy and his stuff bounces back to 2022 levels.
One of the more athletic high school pitchers in the 2018 Draft, White was a three-sport star who drew college football interest as a quarterback before signing with the Rangers for an above-slot $1.5 million in the second round. Tommy John surgery in May 2019 and the pandemic delayed his pro debut until May 2021, when he broke his pitching hand in his first start when he slammed it on the ground after making an error. Once healthy again, he finished the season with three straight double-digit strikeout efforts in Low-A and then won Arizona Fall League pitcher of the year honors.
White dominated in the AFL and showed that he had regained the stuff that made scouts fall in love with him as an amateur. His fastball operates at 92-96 mph with armside run and good carry up in the strike zone, and he may find more velocity as he gets stronger and puts his elbow reconstruction further behind him. His best secondary pitch is an 82-86 mph slider with horizontal and vertical action that makes it effective against left-handers and right-handers.
Both White's 78-82 mph curveball and 85-88 mph fading changeup can be solid offerings, though the latter gets too firm at times. He'll also mix in some two-seam fastballs and shows feel for pitching despite all his lost time. His athleticism helps him repeat an easy delivery and his control and command should continue to improve as he gains more experience.
White drew interest from college football programs as a quarterback but opted to focus on pitching as a high school senior in 2018, when the Rangers signed him for an above-slot $1.5 million in the second round. They put him in a deloading program in his first pro summer, holding him out of game action to focus on conditioning and learning, but he still blew out his elbow the next spring before making his official debut. He had Tommy John surgery in May 2019 and returned to the mound in instructional league last fall.
White showed he had regained his stuff in instructs, working with a 92-96 mph fastball with arm-side run and a high-spin curveball. He has a lot of athleticism and projection in his 6-foot-3 frame, so he could gain more velocity as he puts his elbow reconstruction further behind him. He also has promising feel for a changeup and flashed a plus slider in high school, though Texas has had him focus on his curve as his primary breaking ball.
A three-sport star in high school who would have hit and pitched for South Carolina had he gone to college, White uses his premium athleticism to repeat his delivery and throw strikes. He needs more strength and plenty of innings -- his pro debut came three years after he was drafted -- but he has the makings of a No. 2 or 3 starter. He didn't help his cause by breaking his right hand when he slammed it on the ground after he made an error during his first start in May, costing him three months, though he did pitch at 95-97 mph in his first game back.
Despite interest from college football programs, White gave up quarterbacking as a high school senior to focus on pitching and adding strength. He developed into one of the more athletic and projectable prep arms in the 2018 Draft and signed for an above-slot $1.5 million in the second round. The Rangers held all of their high school pitchers from the early rounds out of game action to concentrate on learning and conditioning after they turned pro, but he still succumbed to Tommy John surgery this May and won't make his pro debut until 2020.
White has the potential for a deep arsenal with plus pitches across the board. His fastball velocity fluctuates because he's still adding muscle to his lean frame, but there are times when he'll sit at 93-95 mph with armside run and that should happen more often as he gets stronger. Though he flashed a plus slider in high school, the Rangers are having him focus on a curveball with high spin rates, and he also has advanced feel for a fading changeup.
Had he gone to college, White would have been a two-way player at South Carolina, and his athleticism helps him repeat his delivery and throw strikes. He'll need time to mature physically and gain experience, but all of the ingredients are there for a future No. 2 or 3 starter.
Though college programs showed interest in him as a quarterback, White gave up football as a high school senior to concentrate on baseball and work on adding strength. That decision paid off, as he starred at showcase events last fall and displayed the potential for a formidable four-pitch arsenal this spring. The Rangers drafted him in the second round and lured him away from a South Carolina commitment with an over-slot $1.5 million bonus.
White still has a lot of projection remaining in his lean, athletic frame, so he's not a fully formed pitcher by any means.
There are days when his fastball sits at 89-91 mph and others when he works at 93-95 mph with armside run on his fastball for three innings at a time, something that should happen more frequently as he adds muscle. He has a full array of secondary pitches, flashing a plus slider, generating impressive spin rates on his curveball and demonstrating advanced feel for a fading changeup.
Once he's a finished product, White could have four pitches that grade as solid or better. The athleticism that could have made him a two-way player for the Gamecocks should help him throw strikes. He'll continue to try to get stronger in the early stages of his development as a pro.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2023
22.2
2
1.6
0
0
1
1
50.0
2024
25.4
1
0.7
0
0
1
0
0.0
Player
23.2
3
2.3
1
0
2
1
33.3
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2023
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2024
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
1
1
Player
3
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
3
3
1
2
3
2
2
2
3
3
2
3
3
2
1
2
2
2
1
3
2
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here
TEX
