40 in 40: Evan White

It is go time for Evan White.

He stands at the forefront of two significant changes in the baseball world:

1. He signed a 6-year extension before playing a single game at the MLB level.
2. He represents the evolving profile of the modern first baseman: athletic, fast, and contact-driven, yet not the lumbering power-hitter of eras past.

2020 is likely going to an odd, bumpy ride for the Mariners, but it seems like an ideal time for Evan White to make himself comfortable as a cornerstone, everyday player for the Mariners for the next several years to come.

Back to the contract extension for a moment. This is how it stacks up in comparison to the handful of similar low-service-time extensions:

And here is staffer Joe Doyle’s added year-by-year breakdown, if you missed it:

The contract doesn’t guarantee that White makes the roster out of camp this spring, but barring injury or significant struggles at the plate, I can’t imagine the team will hesitate to write his name on the lineup in pen.

The day after White’s extension was official, we had a big ol’ Evan White day here on Lookout Landing, and no less than 5 staff writers wrote at length about the first baseman of the future, the potential breaker of Tino’s Curse (Sorrento’s Scourge? Segui’s Calamity? Bell’s Burden? Olerud’s Rude ‘Tude? Editor’s note: We get it, Eric, first base has been bad). You should go read or re-read all of those pieces to get a more full picture of this impressive young man that we should all be very excited to root for. It might not all be roses, but for a player who is currently ranked as the #2 first base prospect for 2020 by MLB Pipeline AND their pick for best Rookie of the Year potential of the lot, we might just see something special this season.

One more thing you may not know about Evan White is that he low-key has a good sense of humor (his 6th tool perhaps?) and will gladly roast a teammate when he has the chance:

Not much more to say about Evan White that hasn’t already been said until we get some real baseball action to analyze (/stares mournfully at lake-sized puddle outside my window), so here’s to a productive Spring Training and a very fruitful rookie season. It’s go time.