Rick White (baseball)

Infobox MLB player


width = 150px
bgcolor1=#005c5c
bgcolor2=#0c2c56
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Rick White

position=Relief Pitcher
team=Free Agent
number=37
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1968|12|23
debutdate=April 6
debutyear=1994
debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
statyear=2007
stat1label=Wins-Losses
stat1value=42-54
stat2label=Earned Run Average
stat2value=4.45
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=542
stat4label=Innings pitched
stat4value=858 2/3
teams=
*Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1994–by|1995, by|2005)
*Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|1998–by|2000)
*New York Mets (by|2000–by|2001)
*Colorado Rockies (by|2002)
*St. Louis Cardinals (by|2002)
*Chicago White Sox (by|2003)
*Houston Astros (by|2003, by|2007)
*Cleveland Indians (by|2004)
*Cincinnati Reds (by|2006)
*Philadelphia Phillies (by|2006)
*Seattle Mariners (by|2007)

Richard Allen White (born December 23, 1968 in Springfield, Ohio) is a relief pitcher, and currently a free agent. White has spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors, working primarily as a relief pitcher. He is 6' 4" tall and weighs 295 pounds, and he bats and throws right-handed.

Career summary

After graduating from Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield, White attended Paducah Community College. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 15th round of the by|1990 June draft, with the 390th overall pick. After signing quickly, he made his professional debut with the Pirates' affiliate in the Gulf Coast League that fall. White worked primarily as a starting pitcher while advancing through the minors, and he started 14 games as a swingman with the Pirates in by|1994 and by|1995, before settling in as a reliever with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

White enjoyed his best seasons as a professional with the Devil Rays, spending two and a half seasons as a key part of their bullpen, before being traded to the New York Mets in by|2000. The Mets acquired White and outfielder Bubba Trammell in exchange for pitcher Paul Wilson and outfielder Jason Tyner. The Mets advanced to the World Series that season, but lost to the New York Yankees in five games.

White appeared in the postseason for a second time in by|2002 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, who were eliminated in the NLCS by the San Francisco Giants. On June 23, by|2006, the Philadelphia Phillies claimed White off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. On February 2, by|2007, the Houston Astros signed White to a minor-league contract. On June 29, 2007, the Astros released White after some ineffective outings. As a reliever for Houston, he was lights out with amazing numbers through Spring Training, allowing him to make the club. April was good for him; going 11.2 innings with 2 ER for an ERA of 1.54. But after going on the disabled list, he had an ERA of 11.72, giving up 23 ER over 17.2 innings. With Houston, White appeared in 23 games, going 1-0 with a 7.67 ERA in 29 1/3 innings. On August 5, 2007, the Seattle Mariners signed him and assigned White to Triple-A Tacoma. On August 23, 2007, White was promoted to the majors, but was placed on release waivers and subsequently released by the Mariners on September 6.

Notes and trivia

*White throws four pitches: a fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a forkball.
*Other major-league pitchers who attended Kenton Ridge High School include Dustin Hermanson and Dave Burba.
*During pre-game warmups on May 12, by|1999, he and pitcher Jim Mecir were involved in a serious collision in the outfield while chasing a fly ball in batting practice. White was unhurt, but Mecir broke his elbow and missed the rest of the season.
*White has never led his league in a major category, and has only ranked among the top ten once: He ranked ninth in the National League in hit batsmen in 1994, with a total of six.
*One of few players to wear 00 or single digit numbers in the Major Leagues as a pitcher.

ee also

* Chicago White Sox all-time roster
* Tampa Bay Devil Rays all-time roster

External links

*baseball-reference|id=w/whiteri01
* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/W/rick-white.shtml White's career statistics.]
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player.jsp?player_id=124184 White's player page on MLB.com .]