EVAN WHITE

First baseman | 6-foot-3, 220 pounds | Bats: R | Throws: L | Age: 23

Mariners prospect ranking: No. 4 (MLB Pipeline), No. 3 (Baseball America)

Path to Peoria: Drafted in the first round (No. 17 overall) by the Mariners in 2017 out of Kentucky. Started his professional career with Short-A Everett on the injured list with a quad strain, but still played in 14 games for the AquaSox in 2017. Spent the majority of 2018 with High-A Modesto and played the entirety of the 2019 season with Double-A Arkansas, also appearing in the All-Star Futures Game. Signed an unprecedented six-year extension with Seattle in November without ever appearing in a big league game. Opening Day is projected to be his MLB debut.

Projected debut year: 2020

Scouting report: The Mariners are obviously confident in White’s future as their everyday first baseman, considering they inked him to a longterm contract before ever seeing him play in a game at T-Mobile Park. He’s just the fourth player in MLB history to sign such a deal before his major league debut, and the first to do so without playing above the Double-A level. White’s contract keeps him in Seattle through the 2025 season with club options the following three years. What made the Mariners so sure White is imperative to their future? Well ... everything about him. White is already a Gold Glove-caliber defender with the advanced glove skills and athleticism the Mariners have been missing at first base in recent years. He’s already shown flashes of what he can do on the infield dirt this spring, making one diving catch and another on a long run in foul territory in Seattle’s Cactus League opener. The Mariners like his bat, too, and it’s coming around quickly against big league pitching. In five games played this spring, he’s 6-for-14 with three doubles and two RBI despite dealing with a minor groin issue last week. He has a career slash of .296/.361/.471 with 43 doubles, 10 triples, 32 homers and 133 RBI through 230 games in the minors. He has been named a minor league All-Star in each of his two full seasons of professional baseball — in the California League in 2018 and the Texas League in 2019.

By the numbers: White was one of the Texas League’s top hitters in 2019, ranking tied for third in home runs (18), fourth in slugging percentage (.488) and OPS (.838), sixth in batting average (.293) and ninth in on-base percentage (.350).

Quotable: “I’m very fortunate and very blessed to be in this position. I’m just trying to go out there every day and learn. If you prepare the right way, I think that’s what puts you in a good position to perform well on the field when it matters.”

MARINERS FACES OF THE FUTURE

Evan White abruptly dove to his left, snagging a line drive that seemed destined to zip down the right field line for the first out of the second inning of the Seattle Mariners’ Cactus League opener last month.

For the second out, he ran down a pop fly in foul territory, corralled it in his glove and caught himself before falling over the low fence into the crowd near the opposing dugout at Peoria Stadium.

Then, in the fifth inning, White made a nice defensive stop on a hart-hit chopper and tapped his own base for an unassisted out.

In short, his defensive debut for the Mariners this spring was a spectacle. And none of it surprised manager Scott Servais.

“We’re going to see that a lot,” he said.

White has obvious defensive gifts, Servais continued. He’s rangy. He’s athletic. Plays like this are his normal.

And what he can bring to Seattle’s infield for years to come is a big reason the Mariners signed him to an unprecedented six-year extension without ever having seen him perform at the big league level.

“What Evan White brings at first base, just from an infielder’s perspective, you catch the ball (and think), ‘If I get it close over there there’s a good chance this guy is going to help me out and make plays,’ ” Servais said.

“He’s got length at first base, to the bang-bang double plays — it’s all of those little things that don’t ever show up in the box score that make a big difference.”

And what does show up in the box score when White is in the lineup? The Mariners are plenty impressed with that, too.

Less than two weeks into spring training games, his bat is already adjusting to facing big league pitching on a regular basis. He is 6-for-14 with three doubles and two RBI in five games.

“It’s always nice to get on base and put balls in play and hit them well,” White said. “And just trying to put a good bat swing at the right pitches, that’s a big thing in spring training, and hopefully that can carry over.

“I’m starting to see pitches better, be able to make better swing decisions. Obviously it’s still a work in progress. You have days where it’s feeling really good, days where it’s not, so just being able to try to put yourself in the most consistent positions possible is the end goal.”

The Mariners will give White ample opportunity to develop consistency and familiarity this spring as their projected Opening Day first baseman.

“I just want Evan to come in and be who he is,” Servais said. “Just relax, play, pick the balls out of the dirt, do what you do defensively. Get a good pitch to hit, good things happen.

“He looks great. He’s put on about 10 pounds of muscle. He’s really worked his tail off this offseason. He looks like a big leaguer. A lot of guys, when you first sign them, whether it’s high school, college guys, it takes a while for them to fill out. He looks like the real deal.”

White plays like the real deal, too, on both sides of the ball, but is still looking for more opportunities to expand and improve his game as camp continues.

“The biggest thing is still just continue to learn,” White said. “With the guys that have been there, continue to pick their brains, see how they go about their business, and continue to reform my routine, and continue to grow.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 7:00 AM.

Lauren Smith

The News Tribune

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Lauren Smith is a sports reporter at The News Tribune. She has covered high school sports for TNT and The Olympian, as well as the Seattle Mariners and Washington Huskies. She is a graduate of UW and Emerald Ridge High School.