Marlins’ White Has Speed All Over

JUPITER, FLA.—Center fielder Isaiah White, the Marlins’ eighth-ranked prospect, was shocked when a reporter told him his bat speed has been compared to former big league star Gary Sheffield.

“I know I have some bat speed but … ” White, 19, who has studied Sheffield’s swing for years but had never heard that comparison, said.

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“Now that you say that, it gives me more confidence.”

White, a 6-foot, 175-pounder and the Marlins’ 2015 third-round pick out of Wilson High in North Carolina, has a game built on speed—with his bat and his feet.

In the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last season, White stole 13 bases and was not caught. He hit .294/.321/.381 in 35 games, with seven doubles and two triples.

He almost homered, too.

“The third-base coach held me up,” White said of what he felt would have been an inside-the-park job. “I could have scored—no doubt.”

White is part of the speed the Marlins are building throughout their organization, starting with second baseman Dee Gordon in the majors. Minor league speedsters include White, fellow outfielder Yefri Perez and shortstop Anfernee Seymour.

In high school, White estimates he hit six inside-the-park homers.

But, surprisingly, he only bunted a couple of times, preferring to “grip and rip.”

White, who turned down a scholarship offer from East Carolina when he signed with the Marlins, said his biggest thrill on the baseball field so far came as a high school senior, when he led Wilson to a state title.

“I had six stitches in my hand after I got cleated,” White said. “But I still went 7-for-9 (in the semifinals and finals), and I scored the winning run (in a 5-4 state-final win).

“Sounds like a fairy tale, don’t it?”

It sure does, and the Marlins hope the story continues on the same path for White.

FISH BITES

• Brian Schneider, who managed the Marlins’ high Class A Jupiter team last season, has been promoted to the majors as a catching coach. He was a big league catcher for 13 years.

• Arnie Beyeler, 52, is the Marlins’ new manager at Triple-A New Orleans. He spent the previous three years as Boston’s first base coach, winning a World Series in 2013.