Matthew Edward White (born August 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher.
| Matt White | |||||||||||||||
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| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: August 13, 1978 Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Career
editWhite attended Waynesboro Area High School from 1993 to 1996[1] where he played four varsity sports and had a 0.79 earned run average as a baseball player.[2] During his senior year he posted a 10–1 record with an 0.63 ERA, allowing 21 hits and 37 baserunners.[3] Following the season he was named the high school baseball player of the year by USA Today,[4] Baseball America, the National High School Baseball Coaches Association[2] and Gatorade.[5][6][7]
After initially planning to attend Georgia Tech,[8] White was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1996 amateur draft,[9] but his agent Scott Boras found a long-ignored provision in MLB's Collective Bargaining Agreement that allowed White to become a free agent after the Giants failed to offer him a written contract in the required 15-day time allotted.[2][10] He received a $10.2 million signing bonus (equivalent to $19.8 million in 2023) in 1996 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[11][12] It was the largest bonus ever given to an amateur player.[2]
Before even making his professional debut with the Hudson Valley Renegades in 1997, Baseball America ranked him the sixth-best prospect in baseball.[13] Shoulder and back injuries limited White to 122 minor league games during his career. He never played in the major leagues and retired in 2006 with a career mark of 35–47 and a 4.64 earned run average.[8][14][15][16]
White was the only high school player invited to try out for the United States national baseball team for the 1996 Summer Olympics[2] but was the last player cut from the team.[17] He was selected to the 2000 Sydney Olympic team but suffered an injury prior to the games and was forced to return without participating.[8]
References
edit- ^ Eric Reed (August 16, 1997). "Period of adjustment". Public Opinion. pp. 1B, 6A. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e John Steadman (January 5, 1997). "One of baseball's youngest stars keeping his feet on the ground". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ Parry Shaw (November 26, 1996). "Devil Rays turn opponents White with envy". The Bradenton Herald. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mike DiGiovanna (November 26, 1996). "Prep Pitcher Nets $10.2 Million". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ Bill Chastain (December 26, 1996). "One in a million for Rays". The Tampa Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bill Chastain (December 26, 1996). "White / Devil Rays banking on small-town hero". The Tampa Tribune. p. 8. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rod Shetler (July 23, 1996). "Matt White lone veteran trials player". Joplin Globe. pp. 4B–5B. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
- ^ a b c Jeff Arnold (July 1, 2010). "New Michigan pitching coach Matt White brings wealth of experience and perspective to Wolverines". The Ann Arbor News. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ Eric Reed (June 5, 1996). "Matt White takes a Giant step". Public Opinion. pp. 1A, 12A. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Buchanan, Zach (April 16, 2020). "Travis Lee's 1996 draft saga and how an amateur's true value was briefly exposed". The Athletic. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ Kevin Wells (February 26, 1998). "Wild to wow". The Tampa Tribune. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rodney Page (June 10, 1998). "Matt White feels at home". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ "Matt White Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ Roger Mooney (June 25, 2006). "I want to get to the 'Big Leagues'". The Bradenton Herald. pp. 1D, 7D. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ John Romano (July 26, 2006). "Arm, not heart, failed bonus baby". Tampa Bay Times. pp. 1C, 3C. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bill Chastain; Jesse Rogers; Ben Zobrist (2018). Try not to suck : the exceptional, extraordinary baseball life of Joe Maddon. Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633198579. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ "Devil Rays put White in the black". The News Journal. November 26, 1996. p. C2. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)