Evan McKee White (born April 26, 1996) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

and won the

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

in 2020. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

Amateur career

White attended Lincoln High School in

Gahanna, Ohio Gahanna ( ) is a city situated in northeast Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus. The population was 35,726 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1849. History Gahanna was founded along the Big Walnut Creek in 18 ...

, and the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

, where he played

for the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

. As a freshman, White started all 52 games and hit .318/.369/.410 with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 28

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs). As a sophomore in 2016, White started all 54 games, hitting .376/.419./.535 with five home runs and 40 RBIs. After the season, he played for the United States collegiate national team.

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

Considered one of the top prospects for the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...

, the

selected White with the 17th overall selection. After signing, he was assigned to the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity o ...

where he posted a .277 batting average with three home runs, 12 RBIs and a .877 OPS in 14 games. In 2018, White played with the Modesto Nuts and the Tacoma Rainiers, slashing a combined .300/.371/.453 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs in 124 games. He spent 2019 with the Arkansas Travelers, batting .293/.350/.488 with 18 home runs and 55 RBIs over 92 games. White was named to the 2019

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. On November 25, 2019, White signed a six-year major league contract (with three club options) with the Mariners. The contract guaranteed White at least $24 million and could reach $55.5 million. On July 24, 2020, White was the starting first baseman, making his MLB debut on Opening Day. He finished the season with a .176 batting average, the lowest among all qualifying hitters in the shortened 60-game season, and a .252 on base percentage, also the lowest, along with eight home runs and 26 RBIs in 54 games. He won his first

in 2020, manning first base. On June 22, 2021, White was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left hip flexor strain and was sent for a second opinion on the injury. White elected to undergo season-ending hip surgery on July 16. On March 26, 2022, it was announced that White would undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia. On April 28, White was transferred to the 60-day injured list as he continued to recover. White was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to begin the 2023 season. On April 6, 2023, it was announced that White had suffered a Grade 2 groin strain while playing with Tacoma and would miss two months of action. On May 9, it was announced that White would undergo another procedure on his left hip, causing him to miss three months.

Los Angeles Angels

On December 3, 2023, the Mariners traded White,

Marco Gonzales Marco Elias Gonzales (born February 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended Gonzaga University, whe ...

, and

Jarred Kelenic Jarred Robert Kelenic ( ; born July 16, 1999) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kelenic was drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft by the New York Mets and was trad ...

to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

for

Jackson Kowar Jackson Alexander Kowar (born October 4, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career Kowar was born and raised in Weddington, North Carolina. He attended Charlotte ...

and Cole Phillips. On December 7, White was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A. The next day, the Braves traded White and Tyler Thomas to the Los Angeles Angels for David Fletcher and

Max Stassi Max Robert Stassi (born March 15, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Oakland Athletics drafted him in the fourth round of the 2009 MLB draft. In 2013, Stassi made hi ...

Personal life

White and his wife, Kari, married in December 2019.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Evan 1996 births Living people Arizona Complex League Angels players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio Everett AquaSox players Gold Glove Award winners Kentucky Wildcats baseball players Major League Baseball first basemen Modesto Nuts players Peoria Javelinas players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players