Mitch White

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #17 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: White had Tommy John surgery in high school and battled an assortment of injuries after the Dodgers drafted him in the second round in 2016, including a broken toe, general soreness and recurring blisters. He finally stayed healthy in 2020 and pitched consistently well at the alternate training site, resulting in his first major league callup on Aug. 28.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: White has plenty of stuff but has long been hampered by injuries and inconsistency. His fastball sits 93-94 mph with natural cut and both his vertical, low-80s curveball and horizontal mid-80s slider are plus pitches at their best. White has long struggled with fastball command and secondary execution, in part due to mechanical issues caused by his injuries. He was consistent at the alternate site and in two scoreless relief appearances in the majors, providing optimism that he's turned a corner.
  
  THE FUTURE: It all comes down to health and consistency for White. The Dodgers saw enough progress to believe he still has a chance to start, but his injury history and pitch mix point to a relief future.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #12 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: White had Tommy John surgery after high school but bounced back to become Santa Clara's ace as a redshirt sophomore. The Dodgers drafted him 65th overall in 2016 and signed him for $588,300. 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.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: At his best, White is “lights out” in the words of observers. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and gets up to 97, his plus curveball sets up hitters early in counts and his plus short slider finishes them for strikeouts. Too often, though, White sits in the low 90s and his curveball and slider are hit-or-miss, resulting in wildly inconsistent outings. Breakdowns in his mechanics affect his command and a long list of injuries, most recently two separate injured list stints for blisters, affect his reliability. His changeup is below-average and resulted in lefties batting .271/.350/.571 against him in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: White teases starter potential, but an increasing number of evaluators think his future is in the bullpen because of his health and consistency issues. He'll return to Triple-A in 2020.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #9 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: White's career has been a frustrating tale of success interrupted by injury. He had Tommy John surgery right before college but recovered to emerge as Santa Clara's ace as redshirt sophomore and be drafted 65th overall. In his first full season he posted a 2.93 ERA while advancing to Double-A but also missed six weeks with a broken toe. In 2018 he missed the first month of the season due to general soreness and struggled to find a rhythm most of the year before finishing with a 3.00 ERA over his final eight starts.
  
  Scouting Report: White has plus stuff at his best but is woefully inconsistent. Sometimes he'll work 94-97 mph, others he'll be 90-93, and most often he's 92-95. White has a fluid arm action but crosses his body and loses his direction to the plate, resulting in his stuff playing down and an inability to locate to his armside. Tulsa pitching coach Dave Borkowski made late-season tweaks to liven White's backside, yielding some improvement. White's short, tight upper 80s slider is his most consistent pitch and shows plus at its best. His 12-to-6 curveball flashes above-average and his changeup average, but neither are consistent.
  
  The Future: White looks like a potential frontline starter at his best but struggles to sustain it. Maintaining his health and refined delivery will be key in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #4 prospect in 2018
  White had Tommy John surgery in high school and took time to round into form in college. That finally happened his redshirt sophomore year, when his velocity spiked in Santa Clara's rotation and he flew up draft boards into the second round, where the Dodgers took him 65th overall. White's rapid ascent has extended to pro ball, where he overcame a broken toe that cost him six weeks to reach Double-A Tulsa in 2017. No pitcher in the organization is harder to square up than White. His fastball sits 94-97 mph at its best, 92-93 at its worst, and that velocity is enhanced with late run and sink. His heater plays up even more with how he mixes it with his plus slider. He will manipulate break and depth of the pitch and use it to steal a strike before coming back with a nasty fastball that moves in the opposite direction. When he wants to go north-south he'll unleash an above-average curveball. His changeup is developing. White is a good athlete with a fluid delivery, but he loses his release point and direction in spurts, leading to bouts of wildness. White has all the components to be a No. 2 or 3 starter. Improved control and health will be his biggest goals in 2018.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #19 prospect in 2017
  Few players in the 2016 draft had as much late helium as White. He didn't pitch much in high school--he had Tommy John surgery his senior year--and pitched just 32 innings out of Santa Clara's bullpen in 2015. Moved to the rotation in 2016, White's fastball velocity spiked and the Dodgers took notice, popping him in the second round and cutting an under-slot deal with him for $588,300. While the Dodgers kept him on a tight leash of no more than two innings per outing after he signed, White excelled in his pro debut by allowing only one run (unearned) in 22 innings. The Dodgers want to develop White as a starter, and he has a chance to stick in that role. White's fastball sat at 89-93 mph early in his final college season, but by the end he was cruising at 91-96 mph and tickling 97 with good fastball command. His curveball and cutter-esque slider are both solid-average offerings with the curveball flashing plus and the more effective pitch early in his pro career. He has a changeup, but it's still in its nascent stages since he just started throwing it in March. White is a late bloomer with a limited track record, but he has the stuff to be a solid starter or a high-leverage reliever with a chance to move quickly.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #138 prospect in 2016 draft
  An eligible sophomore, White had Tommy John surgery after his senior year at San Jose's Bellarmine Prep and redshirted in 2014 as a freshman. He bounced back well in Santa Clara's bullpen last season, with 40 strikeouts in 32 innings. White has stretched out as a starter this year and just kept getting better as the season went along despite the Broncos' team struggles. With 118 strikeouts, he ranked seventh in the country, and his 11.54 K/9 IP ranked 14th. White's fastball sat 89-93 mph early in the year, with crosscheckers seeing him top out at 94, his velocity jumped in his final two starts. His heater sat at 91-95 while touching 96 10 times in his last start at Brigham Young. In a 15-strikeout effort at Portland, in which he threw 74 of his 100 pitches for strikes, he drew swings-and-misses with four offerings--fastball, upper-80s cutter (which at times morphs into a low-80s, loopy slider), upper-70s hard curve with 12-to-6 shape and a new changeup he just started throwing in late March. Scouts like the cutter best among his secondary pitches but worry about his lack of track record and long arm action. White has some athleticism and a good pitcher's frame at 6-foot-4, 207 pounds. He was getting crosschecked into the first five rounds.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Texas League #13 prospect in 2018
  After a brief, 28-inning taste of the Texas League last season, White made 22 starts and pitched 105.1 innings for Double-A Tulsa in 2018 with inconsistent results. After routinely posting sub-.200 opponent averages in the lower levels, and even having a .172 opponent average in a small TL sample last year, White had a harder time getting outs and avoiding hits this season. White’s stuff took a step back early in the season, but he regained his fastball and his success as the season wore on. He was much better over his final seven starts of the season, going 4-2, 3.82 with 32 strikeouts and seven walks in 39 innings. White’s low- to mid-90s fastball can be hard to square up when it features late sink and arm-side run, but he can find himself in trouble when the pitch flattens out. White’s above-average slider is his best secondary offering, and he’s still refining his 12-to-6 curveball.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #69 prospect in 2018

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: White had Tommy John surgery in high school and battled an assortment of injuries after the Dodgers drafted him in the second round in 2016, including a broken toe, general soreness and recurring blisters. He finally stayed healthy in 2020 and pitched consistently well at the alternate training site, resulting in his first major league callup on Aug. 28.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: White has plenty of stuff but has long been hampered by injuries and inconsistency. His fastball sits 93-94 mph with natural cut and both his vertical, low-80s curveball and horizontal mid-80s slider are plus pitches at their best. White has long struggled with fastball command and secondary execution, in part due to mechanical issues caused by his injuries. He was consistent at the alternate site and in two scoreless relief appearances in the majors, providing optimism that he's turned a corner.
  
  THE FUTURE: It all comes down to health and consistency for White. The Dodgers saw enough progress to believe he still has a chance to start, but his injury history and pitch mix point to a relief future.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: White had Tommy John surgery in high school and battled an assortment of injuries after the Dodgers drafted him in the second round in 2016, including a broken toe, general soreness and recurring blisters. He finally stayed healthy in 2020 and pitched consistently well at the alternate training site, resulting in his first major league callup on Aug. 28.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: White has plenty of stuff but has long been hampered by injuries and inconsistency. His fastball sits 93-94 mph with natural cut and both his vertical, low-80s curveball and horizontal mid-80s slider are plus pitches at their best. White has long struggled with fastball command and secondary execution, in part due to mechanical issues caused by his injuries. He was consistent at the alternate site and in two scoreless relief appearances in the majors, providing optimism that he's turned a corner.
  
  THE FUTURE: It all comes down to health and consistency for White. The Dodgers saw enough progress to believe he still has a chance to start, but his injury history and pitch mix point to a relief future.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: White had Tommy John surgery in high school and battled an assortment of injuries after the Dodgers drafted him in the second round in 2016, including a broken toe, general soreness and recurring blisters. He finally stayed healthy in 2020 and pitched consistently well at the alternate training site, resulting in his first major league callup on Aug. 28.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: White has plenty of stuff but has long been hampered by injuries and inconsistency. His fastball sits 93-94 mph with natural cut and both his vertical, low-80s curveball and horizontal mid-80s slider are plus pitches at their best. White has long struggled with fastball command and secondary execution, in part due to mechanical issues caused by his injuries. He was consistent at the alternate site and in two scoreless relief appearances in the majors, providing optimism that he's turned a corner.
  
  THE FUTURE: It all comes down to health and consistency for White. The Dodgers saw enough progress to believe he still has a chance to start, but his injury history and pitch mix point to a relief future.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: White had Tommy John surgery after high school but bounced back to become Santa Clara’s ace as a redshirt sophomore. The Dodgers drafted him 65th overall in 2016 and signed him for $588,300. 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.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: At his best, White is “lights out” in the words of observers. His fastball sits 93-94 BA GRADE 60 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 50 Risk: Medium BA GRADE 50 Risk: High mph and gets up to 97, his plus curveball sets up hitters early in counts and his plus short slider finishes them for strikeouts. Too often, though, White sits in the low 90s and his curveball and slider are hit-ormiss, resulting in wildly inconsistent outings. Breakdowns in his mechanics affect his command and a long list of injuries, most recently two separate injured list stints for blisters, further affect his reliability. His changeup is below-average and resulted in lefties batting .271/.350/.571 against him in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: White teases starter potential, but an increasing number of evaluators think his future is in the bullpen because of his health and consistency issues. He’ll return to Triple-A in 2020.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: White had Tommy John surgery after high school but bounced back to become Santa Clara's ace as a redshirt sophomore. The Dodgers drafted him 65th overall in 2016 and signed him for $588,300. 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.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: At his best, White is “lights out” in the words of observers. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and gets up to 97, his plus curveball sets up hitters early in counts and his plus short slider finishes them for strikeouts. Too often, though, White sits in the low 90s and his curveball and slider are hit-or-miss, resulting in wildly inconsistent outings. Breakdowns in his mechanics affect his command and a long list of injuries, most recently two separate injured list stints for blisters, affect his reliability. His changeup is below-average and resulted in lefties batting .271/.350/.571 against him in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: White teases starter potential, but an increasing number of evaluators think his future is in the bullpen because of his health and consistency issues. He'll return to Triple-A in 2020.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  White missed the first month due to general soreness and struggled upon his return, but since June started has begun to rediscover his form. After initially showing decreased velocities, White is back to sitting 92-95 mph with a power upper-80s slider and an effective 12-to-6 curveball. The Dodgers made adjustments to White’s delivery and pace to help get him get his best stuff back, and he had a strong June (3.65 ERA) but took a step back in July.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: White had Tommy John surgery in high school and took time to round into form in college. That finally happened his redshirt sophomore year, when his velocity spiked in Santa Clara's rotation and he flew up draft boards into the second round, where the Dodgers took him 65th overall. White's rapid ascent has extended to pro ball, where he overcame a broken toe that cost him six weeks to reach Double-A Tulsa in 2017. Scouting Report: No pitcher in the organization is harder to square up than White. His fastball sits 94-97 mph at its best, and that premium velocity is enhanced with late run and sink. His heater plays up even more with how he mixes it with his plus slider. He manipulates the break and depth of the pitch and uses it to steal a strike before coming back with a nasty fastball that moves in the opposite direction. When he wants to go north-south he'll unleash an above-average curveball. His changeup is developing. White is a good athlete with a fluid delivery, but he loses his release point and direction in spurts, leading to bouts of wildness. The Future: White has all the components to be a No. 2 or 3-caliber starter. Improved control and health will be his biggest goals in 2018.
• December, 2015 Scouting Report
  An eligible sophomore, White had Tommy John surgery after his senior year at San Jose's Bellarmine Prep and redshirted in 2014 as a freshman. He bounced back well in Santa Clara's bullpen last season, with 40 strikeouts in 32 innings. White has stretched out as a starter this year and just kept getting better as the season went along despite the Broncos' team struggles. With 118 strikeouts, he ranked seventh in the country, and his 11.54 K/9 IP ranked 14th. White's fastball sat 89-93 mph early in the year, with crosscheckers seeing him top out at 94, his velocity jumped in his final two starts. His heater sat at 91-95 while touching 96 10 times in his last start at Brigham Young. In a 15-strikeout effort at Portland, in which he threw 74 of his 100 pitches for strikes, he drew swings-and-misses with four offerings--fastball, upper-80s cutter (which at times morphs into a low-80s, loopy slider), upper-70s hard curve with 12-to-6 shape and a new changeup he just started throwing in late March. Scouts like the cutter best among his secondary pitches but worry about his lack of track record and long arm action. White has some athleticism and a good pitcher's frame at 6-foot-4, 207 pounds. He was getting crosschecked into the first five rounds.