Minnesota Twin,
Rondell White was born on February 23, 1972 in Milledgeville,
Georgia. He graduated from Jones High School in Gray,
GA in 1990, where he played baseball and basketball.
He was a teammate of former major leaguer Willie Greene.
He was selected the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Player
of the Year in 1990 and was also selected to the USA
Today and Collegiate Baseball All-America squad. He
was selected by the Montreal Expos in the first round
(24th overall) of the 1990 First-Year Player draft.
After playing with the Expos, Cubs, Yankees, Padres,
Royals and Tigers, he was signed by Minnesota on December
22, 2005 for a 1 year deal as a Designated Hitter mainly
to replace the bat of Jacque Jones.
Rondell has played in the majors for 11 years and has
a career batting average of .289 with 275 doubles, 33
triples, 187 homers and 710 RBIs over 1,337 games. Rondell
had his finest season in 1999 when he established career
highs in games (138), at-bats (539) and hits (168). Rondell
hit a career-high 28 homers in 1997 and has reached double-digits
in homers each of the last nine seasons. Over the past
two seasons, he has a .341 average with runners in scoring
position. He batted .364 (36-for-99) with runners in scoring
position in 2005 and .322 (39-for-121) in 2004.
In 2004, Rondell started out quickly and
faded fast. During the first six weeks of the 2004 campaign,
he had seven home runs and 30 RBI’s. But over
the final 18 weeks of the season, he had just 12 home
runs and 37 RBI’s. In mid-May, his batting average
was .331. By the end of the year, it was .270. He also
missed some time in September with a strained hip flexor.
Last year with Detroit, Rondell batted
.313 (117-for-374) with 24 doubles, three triples, 12
homers and 53 RBI’s over 97 games. Though he has
played the outfield for much of his career, the Twins
expect to use Rondell primarily for the designated hitter
position. Signing a veteran hitter who not only has
power, but familiarity with the American League Central
Division, seemed like the ideal fit for Twins general
manager Terry Ryan. "We're had interest in Rondell
for a long time," Ryan said. "We're very familiar
with him from his playing time with Detroit. He's a
strong athlete who's also a heck of a person, both on
the field and in the clubhouse. We're really looking
forward to having his bat in the lineup as long as we
can keep him healthy."
Injuries have limited Rondell’s
playing time in the past. He was on the disabled list
eight times from 1996-2001 and didn't play much during
the final two months in 2004 because of a hip injury.
His 2005 season was cut short on Aug. 14 when he dislocated
his shoulder in Kansas City, an injury that also required
surgery. Though White has had his fair share of injuries,
most have come due to defensive plays in the outfield.
That fact is one of the main reasons he was looking
for a team that would sign him primarily to play DH.
Rondell White has an exceptionally quick
bat. He murders fastballs on the inner half of the strike
zone, and he jumps at mediocre fastballs that cross
the heart of the plate. He also has good power. If he
gets a pitch where he likes it, he is capable of driving
the ball a long way. Although a better fastball hitter
than off speed hitter, he still is the consummate professional
at the plate.
Although he was used extensively in left
field last season, his throwing arm is probably the
weakest of any major league outfielder in recent memory.
Opposing teams run on his arm at will. He lacks range,
especially on balls hit directly over his head. His
eight assists over the past two seasons are offset by
eight errors. Despite knee problems and advancing age,
Rondell White has average speed on the bases.
There is a role for White in the major
leagues, but it is not as an outfielder. He can be the
regular DH on a winning club, but it is not a good sign
for a club when he is playing in the outfield. Teams
keep trading for or signing White because they like
his bat, but the honeymoon is often short because of
his struggles in the field.
The Twins hope to keep Rondell White healthy
and use him to beef up their offense. Desperate for
power at the plate, the Twins main objective is to keep
Rondell’s bat in the lineup and hope he can fulfill
his dangerous hitter namesake. |
