Mikey White
| AB | 1846 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .248 |
| OBP | .325 |
| SLG | .381 |
| HR | 44 |
- Full name Michael John White
- Born 09/03/1993 in San Diego, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Alabama
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Drafted in the 2nd round (63rd overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2015 (signed for $900,000).
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White was named Alabama's Mr. Baseball in 2012 and was picked in the 34th round by the Mets. He chose to play for the Crimson Tide instead of signing and has gone on to have a storied career in Tuscaloosa. Scouts look at White as more than the sum of his parts, thanks to his incredible makeup, work ethic and understanding of the game. He has a long track record of performance that dates back to his days with USA Baseball's 18U national team and stretches through two of the premier college leagues' Cape Cod and the SEC. He makes consistent hard contact and controls the strike zone well. Both his power and speed are fringe average, but he gets the most out of both tools. Some scouts are put off by his dead start with his hands in his swing, which mutes his power potential. White has been Alabama's everyday shortstop and the team that drafts him may keep him there to start his professional career. He is likely to eventually slide over to second, however. He's a steady, reliable defender with good enough hands and infield actions to become a solid second baseman. The SEC has some of the nation's best shortstop prospects this year, with Vanderbilt's Dansby Swanson and LSU's Alex Bregman leading the way and Florida's Richie Martin following closely behind. White doesn't share their upside, but he too looks like a future big leaguer.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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The Athletics doubled down on SEC shortstops at the top of the 2015 draft by taking White in the second round after taking Richie Martin in the first. Named the state of Alabama's Mr. Baseball coming out of high school in 2012, he was the Crimson Tide's everyday shortstop for three years and finished as a .308 career hitter. They played the same position in the same conference, but the similarities between White and Martin end there. White doesn't have Martin's pure athleticism, instead getting the job done on instincts and quick reactions. The A's want to play him at shortstop as much as possible, but given their glut of prospects at the position he'll see time at second and third base as well. White doesn't have any plus tools offensively, although he'll wring the most out of what he has. He has enough pop to be a double-digit home run threat and controls the strike zone well. Scouts in college worried about a dead start in his swing, though, which hurts his power, and his speed is just fringe average. The A's do like his work ethic and potential versatility, and he'll head to one of their Class A affiliates to open his first full season.
Draft Prospects
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White was named Alabama's Mr. Baseball in 2012 and was picked in the 34th round by the Mets. He chose to play for the Crimson Tide instead of signing and has gone on to have a storied career in Tuscaloosa. Scouts look at White as more than the sum of his parts, thanks to his incredible makeup, work ethic and understanding of the game. He has a long track record of performance that dates back to his days with USA Baseball's 18U national team and stretches through two of the premier college leagues' Cape Cod and the SEC. He makes consistent hard contact and controls the strike zone well. Both his power and speed are fringe average, but he gets the most out of both tools. Some scouts are put off by his dead start with his hands in his swing, which mutes his power potential. White has been Alabama's everyday shortstop and the team that drafts him may keep him there to start his professional career. He is likely to eventually slide over to second, however. He's a steady, reliable defender with good enough hands and infield actions to become a solid second baseman. The SEC has some of the nation's best shortstop prospects this year, with Vanderbilt's Dansby Swanson and LSU's Alex Bregman leading the way and Florida's Richie Martin following closely behind. White doesn't share their upside, but he too looks like a future big leaguer. -
White is a key piece of Alabama's recruiting class, a dirtbag in the best sense of the word with solid tools, and he went 8-2 on the mound as well. The second-leading hitter for USA Baseball's 18-and-under team last fall, batting .415, White profiles as a leadoff or No. 2 hitter with average speed, a polished approach and surprising pop in his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. He turns in average times down the line and doesn't wow scouts with range, but he turns it up when he needs to leg out a hit, take an extra base or make a play at shortstop. He has good instincts that help accentuate his improving actions and solid-average arm strength, and he plays with intensity. Some scouts don't know where he fits defensively if he can't stay in the middle infield, as he may not have enough speed for center field.
Minor League Top Prospects
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White doesn't have the raw tools of other Southeastern Conference shortstop draftees Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Richie Martin, but the Alabama product's plus makeup and work ethic allow him to make the most of his talents. White has good hands and is generally reliable in the field, but the consensus is that he won't be a starting big league shortstop. Teammates at Vermont with Martin this summer, White split time between third base and shortstop, with one game at second base. His tools fit best at second or in a utility role. "For me, he was more of an instinctive baseball player," one scout said. "He's a gamer. He'll be a good clubhouse guy--he has leadership-type qualities. On the baseball field for me, he's more of a utility type at the major league level." White has fringe-average power and speed, but he's shown the ability to control the strike zone and make consistent, hard contact with at least an average hit tool. He earned a promotion to low Class A Beloit on July 28 after just 29 games with the Lake Monsters.
