Seattle Mariners: Examining the Evan White Dilemma
PNWS Staff
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Ed Stein
Question: What do you get when you cross a long, pretty swing with a lack of contact? Answer: Evan White at the plate. He’s had 366 at-bats in the show and produced a career .165 batting average and .544 OPS. Major League pitching has the Seattle Mariners 2017 first-round pick bewildered. He’s a cross between Mario Mendoza overmatched by a fastball and Pedro Cerrano flailing at a curve.
White is a Gold Glove first baseman and could be the best since J.T. Snow. Unfortunately, he plays a position that MLB teams depend on for offensive production, and that’s what France gave the Seattle Mariners when he took over at first base. The outstanding defense he provided there was an added bonus.
Coming back from his hip injury is one thing; expecting him to suddenly become a big-league hitter when he never has before is another. The M’s are stuck with him and his salary, even if he gets Designated for Assignment sometime in the future.
Andrew Elerbaum
White’s not as cheap as you think. This year his $1.4M counts as $4M against the luxury tax, and it jumps up significantly over the next few seasons.
He’s a sunk cost. Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto rolled the dice, and now that deal is untradeable, the way it’s structured. White costs more every year with no production. He’s a little old to expect the light to go on offensively.
Homegrown.
The Mariners have signed first baseman Evan White to a six-year Major League contract.
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— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) November 25, 2019