Bill White
| IP | 13 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 9.692 |
| WHIP | 2.538 |
| BB/9 | 12.462 |
| SO/9 | 6.923 |
- Full name William Cowart White
- Born 11/20/1978 in Louisville, KY
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Jacksonville State
- Debut 09/05/2007
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Drafted in the 3rd round (99th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000 (signed for $387,500).
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By a considerable margin, the 6-foot-6 White posted the best strikeout-to-innings ratio in college baseball this spring, fanning 136 batters in 77 innings--or 15.8 per nine innings. He struggled with command and walked 70. He has legitimate stuff--a 94 mph fastball and 82 mph curve--and on the rare days he threw strikes, he was almost unhittable. White's biggest downside is his makeup. His reputation for yelling at coaches, teammates and umpires to vent his anger and frustration became the talk of scouts throughout the area.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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White led NCAA Division I with an average of 16.0 strikeouts per nine innings at Jacksonville State in 2000. A big, strong lefthander, White uses a sharp curveball as his out pitch and owns a 91-92 mph fastball with nice life. He has shown only flashes of his ability in his three pro seasons, however, because of various physical ailments. He was shut down for most of 2000 with a tired arm, slightly tore his labrum late in 2001 and had his wrist broken by a liner last year. White should be ready for spring training, where he'll compete for a starting job in Double-A. The Diamondbacks still believe in him and want him to stay healthy so he can make some progress with his changeup and his control. -
White led NCAA Division I with 16.0 strikeouts per nine innings at Jacksonville State in 2000 while also tying for fifth with 70 walks. The Diamondbacks drafted him in the third round not only because they were attracted to his live arm, but also because they liked his power curveball that was largely responsible for his gaudy strikeout rate. The scouting department felt comfortable turning White over to Rookie-level pitching coach Mark Davis, who won a Cy Young Award using a similar breaking ball. Work with pitching instructor John Denny, another former Cy Young winner, also helped White clean up his mechanics. White has an 88-93 mph fastball with natural tail to complement his plus curveball. His changeup slowly is developing into a reliable third option. White brings a confident attitude to the mound and he works at an aggressive pace. He still has command issues that need to be resolved, especially as he faces more advanced hitters. He was forced to leave the Arizona Fall League with shoulder soreness that required minor labrum surgery and was on schedule to resume throwing in January and join the Double-A rotation in the spring.
