Mitch White (29, Toronto Blue Jays), the “Chan Ho Park lookalike,” is back on a major league mound after a long absence. Toronto recently designated Anthony Bass for assignment and added White to the 40-man roster. White was traded to Toronto from the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2022 trade deadline.
White also got a chance as a starter late last year in place of the season-ending Ryu Hyun-jin, but he went 5-5 with a 7.74 ERA in 10 appearances for Toronto last year. Including his time with the Dodgers, White is 6-6 with a 5.31 ERA in 18 starts in 2022.
This season, he did not start the season in the majors due to elbow soreness. He rehabbed in the minors before returning to the majors. In nine games, he went 1-0 with an 8.61 ERA. In Triple-A, he went 1-0 with a 10.07 ERA in eight games.
At this point, he may not be ready for the majors, but it’s clear that Toronto didn’t feel White had proven himself at full strength. Of course, the Jays Journal, which covers Toronto for Fansided, reported on Aug. 8 that “a DFA (designation for assignment) could be in White’s future. Regardless of his role, he’s getting further and further away from the big leagues.”
In any case, White’s survival in the majors is in jeopardy. “Manager John Schneider no longer views White as a starter,” ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday. Based on his performance as a starter last year and in the minors this year, that may be true.
In fact, his return to the majors on Nov. 11 먹튀검증 was a relief appearance. It was a 2023 Major League Baseball home game against the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. White took the mound with runners on first and second in the top of the eighth inning, trailing 3-5.
As soon as White stepped up to the plate, he was hit by a pitch. He fired a 95-mph fastball on a full count to Max Kepler, but it was driven to center field for a three-run shot to right-center field. He got Ryan Jeffers to ground out to first on a slider and struck out Michael Taylor on a sweeper.
In the ninth, he gave up back-to-back singles to Donovan Solano and Alex Kirillov, a slider and a 95-mph fastball. He struck out Carlos Correa on a sweeper and Will Castro on a 95-mph fastball to end the inning. His fastball touched 96.2 mph (154.8 km/h), but he struggled with his command. In 1.2 innings, he allowed two runs on three hits (one homer) with four strikeouts.
Toronto needs a starter who can reliably fill the void left by Alec Manoa. However, Toronto doesn’t seem to consider White a starter for now. Now that he’s out of injury trouble, he’ll be judged solely on his performance. For now, the bullpen will have to do. White’s tightrope walk has begun.
