Evan White

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #3 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: White's plus athleticism and premium defense date back to his college days at Kentucky, but the 2017 first-rounder long faced questions about whether he had enough power to profile at first base. White answered the doubters in 2019 with 18 home runs in 92 games at Double-A Arkansas while maintaining a high average. After the season, the Mariners signed him to a six-year, $24 million major league deal and added him to the 40-man roster.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: White's defining tool will always be his defense. He's a plus-plus defender with a plus arm, with scouts praising his glove work as the best since J.T. Snow. His footwork, soft hands and instincts are all top notch and should result in multiple Gold Glove awards. A plus runner, White could also handle an outfield position and possibly even be a plus defender there with his natural athleticism. At the plate, White has very good feel for the barrel, excellent hand-eye coordination and keen strike-zone awareness. He lowered his hands to increase the loft in his swing and now shows 20-home run power to go with above-average or better hitting ability.
  
  THE FUTURE: White is on the fast track to Seattle after signing his big league deal. If he spends any time at all at Triple-A Tacoma in 2020, it won't be for very long.
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #4 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: White comes by his athleticism naturally. Both his father and grandfather played in the minor leagues, and his parents were both college basketball players. Undrafted out of his Ohio high school, he earned second team All-America honors as a Kentucky junior in 2017. A career .356 hitter for the Wildcats, he also played with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team in the summer before his junior year. The 17th overall pick in 2017, White began his pro career at short-season Everett, though his season was curtailed by a quad injury. He got in a full season in 2018, mostly at high Class A Modesto followed by six weeks in the Arizona Fall League.
  
  Scouting Report: White's footwork around the first base bag is so graceful that his movements there have been called ballet-like. He earns plus-plus grades for his defense. He has very good instincts and soft hands. A plus hitter with advanced skills and a plan at the plate, White is a hit-over-power type who uses all fields and makes hard contact. Questions have been raised as to whether he will hit for enough power to profile as a starting first baseman, though his above-average raw power and good exit velocities hint at a chance to exceed his average power projections. White started answering doubts about his power in the second half of 2018 by lowering his hands, keeping his bat in the hitting zone longer and staying through the ball. The results showed when he hit five of his 11 Cal League home runs in August. He has a good swing and finds the barrel a lot, and he studies opposing pitchers' tendencies.
  
  The Future: While he doesn't have the same power profile, White has been compared with the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger as a first baseman who could also play center field. First base is a position of need for the Mariners, so White could advance quickly. He'll advance to Double-A Arkansas in 2019 and could see time at Triple-A.
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #2 prospect in 2018
  White performed to first-round expectations his junior year at Kentucky, hitting .373 with 10 homers, 41 RBIs and 48 runs scored. The Mariners rewarded him by making him the 17th overall pick and signed him for $3.125 million. White started strong after signing, but a quad injury cut his pro debut short after 14 games at short-season Everett. White is well-rounded and projects to be a plus hitter with average power. The Mariners are convinced his power will emerge because of the exit velocities he generates, and he has the athleticism and frame to add strength. White has a smooth, graceful righthanded swing, an outstanding eye and learns quickly from pitch to pitch. Defensively he is the rare example of a first baseman who is a plus runner with a plus arm. While he can handle either corner outfield spot, he's such an elite defender at first base, earning future 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale, that he'll likely stay in the dirt. His defensive ability has drawn comparisons to Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger, a similarly skilled athlete who is capable of playing in the outfield but is so good at first base that it seems foolish to take him out of the dirt. He's graceful around the bag, light on his feet and turns a pristine 3-6-3 double play. White projects as a high-average hitter with 15-20 home run power and Gold Glove defense at first base. He'll get his first taste of full-season ball in 2018.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #12 prospect in 2017 draft
  White is not your typical college first baseman. Usually college first baseman are players who can't handle another position. White, who wears number 19 because it's Joey Votto's number, is athletic enough and fast enough (he's an above-average runner) to play in the outfield and his plus arm would fit in right field. But White is such a gifted defender at first base that Kentucky has kept him in the dirt. He's a 70 defender at first on the 20-to-80 scouting scale with range, the hands to scoop balls out of the dirt and excellent flexibility. He's shown himself to be an adequate corner outfielder when he got some time in the grass while playing for USA Baseball's College National Team last summer. And he has a long track record of hitting--he hit .318 as a freshman, hit .376 as a sophomore and was posting similar stats as a junior, having shaken off hip and hamstring injuries that sidelined him early in 2017. White projects as an above-average or even plus hitter. But scouts do understandably wonder about White's power. He generally earns fringe-average power grades from scouts and he's never reached double digits in home runs at Kentucky. As a righthanded hitting, lefthanded throwing first baseman/corner outfielder White is going to have to hit for at least average power in pro ball. He does have some athleticism and the frame to add some more weight.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Texas League #6 prospect in 2019
  Voted the best defensive first baseman in the Texas League and widely considered the best defensive first baseman in the minors, White took a step forward offensively in 2019. Playing his home games in one of the country’s toughest parks for hitters, White tied for third in the TL in home runs (18), ranked fourth in OPS (.838) and ranked sixth in batting average (.293). He focused on getting the ball in the air more, and as a result his 18 home runs were more than he hit in 2017 (three) and 2018 (11) combined. White is a potentially plus hitter with a solid, well-rounded approach at the plate. Combined with his offensive acumen, White’s plus-plus defense gives him a strong foundation as a prospect. He displays great footwork around the bag and possesses exceptional athleticism for a first baseman.
• 
  Ranked California League #14 prospect in 2018
  To watch White play first base was to watch a ballet. With graceful footwork, remarkable flexibility and feather-soft hands, White made every play look effortless and turned countless potential hits or throwing errors into outs. One of the best athletes in the league and a plus runner, White was simply pristine on defense whether he was stretching, picking, ranging or using his above-average arm. “Even playing against him you’re just kind of in awe at some of the plays he makes and how consistently he makes them,” Visalia manager Joe Mather said. “We kind of compared him to J.T. Snow over there, but he might be an even better athlete.” White frequently finds the barrel for line-drive contact. He primarily lined he ball the other way early in the year, but at the end he began to turn and elevate to his pull-side, slugging .703 and hitting five of his 11 home runs in August. Not all are convinced White has the power to profile at first base, but his defensive gifts and speed lead many to believe he could handle a move to center field, where a lack of power would be less of an issue.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #54 prospect in 2020
• Ranked Baseball America's #100 prospect in 2019

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: White’s plus athleticism and premium defense date back to his college days at Kentucky, but the 2017 first-rounder long faced questions about whether he had enough power to profile at first base. White answered the doubters in 2019 with 18 home runs in 92 games at Double-A Arkansas while maintaining a high average. After the season, the Mariners signed him to a six-year, $24 million major league deal and added him to the 40-man roster.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: White’s defining tool will always be his defense. He’s a plus-plus defender with a plus arm, with scouts praising his glove work as the best since J.T. Snow. His footwork, soft hands and instincts are all top notch and should result in multiple Gold Glove awards. A plus runner, White could also handle an outfield position and possibly even be a plus defender there with his natural athleticism. At the plate, White has very good feel for the barrel, excellent hand-eye coordination and keen strike-zone awareness. He lowered his hands to increase the loft in his swing and now shows 20-home run power to go with above-average or better hitting ability.
  
  THE FUTURE: White is on the fast track to Seattle after signing his big league deal. If he spends any time at all at Triple-A Tacoma in 2020, it won’t be for very long.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: White's plus athleticism and premium defense date back to his college days at Kentucky, but the 2017 first-rounder long faced questions about whether he had enough power to profile at first base. White answered the doubters in 2019 with 18 home runs in 92 games at Double-A Arkansas while maintaining a high average. After the season, the Mariners signed him to a six-year, $24 million major league deal and added him to the 40-man roster.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: White's defining tool will always be his defense. He's a plus-plus defender with a plus arm, with scouts praising his glove work as the best since J.T. Snow. His footwork, soft hands and instincts are all top notch and should result in multiple Gold Glove awards. A plus runner, White could also handle an outfield position and possibly even be a plus defender there with his natural athleticism. At the plate, White has very good feel for the barrel, excellent hand-eye coordination and keen strike-zone awareness. He lowered his hands to increase the loft in his swing and now shows 20-home run power to go with above-average or better hitting ability.
  
  THE FUTURE: White is on the fast track to Seattle after signing his big league deal. If he spends any time at all at Triple-A Tacoma in 2020, it won't be for very long.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Voted the best defensive first baseman in the Texas League and widely considered the best defensive first baseman in the minors, White took a step forward offensively in 2019. Playing his home games in one of the country’s toughest parks for hitters, White tied for third in the TL in home runs (18), ranked fourth in OPS (.838) and ranked sixth in batting average (.293). He focused on getting the ball in the air more, and as a result his 18 home runs were more than he hit in 2017 (three) and 2018 (11) combined. White is a potentially plus hitter with a solid, well-rounded approach at the plate. Combined with his offensive acumen, White’s plus-plus defense gives him a strong foundation as a prospect. He displays great footwork around the bag and possesses exceptional athleticism for a first baseman.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Except for a brief four-game stint with Triple-A Tacoma, White has teamed with Kyle Lewis in the heart of the Modesto order. The 2017 first-round pick is a smart hitter who consistently has a plan when he’s in the batter’s box. Noted as more of a line drive hitter with an opposite field-approach, White is coming off a hot June in which the home run pop has emerged. He’s a plus defender at first base with acrobatic movements around the bag.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: White performed to first-round expectations in his junior year at Kentucky, hitting .373 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs. The Mariners rewarded him by making him the 17th overall pick and signing him for $3.125 million. Scouting Report: White started strong after signing, but a quad injury cut his pro debut short after 14 games at short-season Everett. He is well-rounded and projects to be a plus hitter with average power. The Mariners are convinced his power will emerge because of the exit velocities he generates, and he has the athleticism and frame to add strength. White has a smooth, graceful rigthanded swing, and an outstanding eye. Defensively he is the rare example of a first baseman who is a plus runner with a plus arm. While he can handle either corner outfield spot, he's such an elite defender at first base, earning future 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale, that he'll likely stay in the dirt. He's graceful around the bag, light on his feet and turns a pristine double play. The Future: White projects as a high-average hitter with 15-20 home run power and Gold Glove defense at first base. He'll get his first taste of full-season ball in 2018.