Dodgers Prospect Watch: Mitchell White

Dodgers Prospect Watch: Mitchell White

Feb 16, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Mitchell White (66) throws during a spring training workout at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Mitchell White.

Vitals: Pitcher. 6' 3", 210, age 25, bats right, throws right. From San Jose, California.

How acquired: Taken in the second round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Santa Clara University.

Highest level of play: 2019 Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Spring Training 2020 stats: 6.00 ERA, 1.333 WHIP, 3 G, 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks.

Potential date for major league debut: 2021.

Baseball America scouting report (subscription required): “Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #12 prospect in 2020...White looked like a potential No. 2 starter after rising to Double-A in a dominant first season, but injuries and inconsistency halted his rise and continued through 2019 at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

“At his best, White is 'lights out' in the words of observers…fastball sits 93-94 mph and gets up to 97…[but] often sits in the low 90s…curveball and slider are hit-or-miss, resulting in wildly inconsistent outings. Breakdowns in his mechanics affect his command…changeup is below-average…teases starter potential, but an increasing number of evaluators think his future is in the bullpen.”

[Follow Sports Illustrated’s Inside the Dodgers on Twitter.]

Comment: "Injuries and inconsistency." That about sums it up. So much so that it may be that White has missed his window to reach his potential within the Dodgers organization. And more importantly, as with Yadier Alvarez, who never became the pitcher (and man) that his employers hoped, the club may have missed its window to cash in and trade high on a hard-throwing right-hander.

While we should note that two of White's injured list stints have been blister and not arm-related, the high school Tommy John patient has served more time on the shelf than any one organization would like. And repeating seasons at the same level - twice - is rarely a good sign. But that's what happened with this particular pitcher, who spent substantial time with the AA-Tulsa Drillers in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

After a fine debut season at three minor league levels following the 2016 draft (0.00 ERA, 0.591 WHIP, with 30 strikeouts in 22 innings), White was promoted twice in 2017, performing quite well with the Drillers (2.57, 1.071, 31 in 28). Reaching his peak, perhaps. He then struggled to a fair degree while spending the entire 2018 season at Tulsa (4.53, 1.405, 88 Ks in 105 IP).

The 2019 campaign was a mixed bag. An encouraging 2.10 ERA in seven games (all starts) at Tulsa; an unsightly 6.50 in 16 games and 13 starts at AAA-Oklahoma City. To be fair, however, the OKC number is skewed by one outing in which a struggling White took one for the team, allowing 11 earned runs on 12 hits in four innings. Even so, we're talking about a 5.28 earned run average.

I don't know what to tell you. The notion that there may be no minor league season in 2020 - and that is a distinct possibility - can not come as good news for a player like Mitch White, who is now 25-years-old. On the other hand, maybe a year off to recharge the batteries and tinker with mechanics will lead to his coming on strong next year. 

Or, as sometimes happens, perhaps the weirdness that is the 2020 season will create an unexpected opportunity in a second spring training, with White rising to the occasion as a reliever.

And remember, glove conquers all.

Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.