Miami Marlins prospect profile of the week: Isaiah White

Last week’s prospect profile update: Chris Paddack tallied his third consecutive hitless start last Saturday against the Hickory Crawdads. He has literally been unhittable. The sheer dominance of Paddack must have him in line for a near promotion, but unfortunately not for the Marlins.

The Miami Marlins 2015 3rd-round draft pick Isaiah White is this week’s focus prospect. White is a right-handed hitting outfielder who was drafted out of high school at the age of 18. He hit .547 his senior year in high school and was successful in all 31 of his stolen base attempts. Speed is White’s greatest asset, he began his professional career with 13 stolen bases out of 13 attempts in the Gulf Coast League. Posted at 6’0’’ 170 lbs., White is a tremendous athlete who like most young speedsters, will need to bulk up a little as he progresses through the minor leagues.

White is a current member of the Class-A short season Batavia Muckdogs. Since the June 17 season start of the New York Penn League, he has a slash line of .290/.371/.484. with one home run and one triple. Stangely enough White is 0-for-2 when trying to swipe a bag. There is not much to his record yet, therefore it is difficult to tell what kind of player he will be.

White’s speed would pinpoint him a center fielder, but his lack of arm strength has placed him in left field at the start of his professional career. He likens the speed of Marlins favorite, Dee Gordon, but doesn’t have the extra step advantage out of the box like a left-handed hitter. Power likely won’t be a considerable part of White’s game, however he is known to have great bat speed, meaning some power could develop as he devolops. If he could use his speed at the plate and learn to be a gap-to-gap hitter, White could find a spot on a big league roster someday. A .547 batting average in high school with only three long balls would imply White had an early grasp on the idea.

Isaiah White could be a Billy Hamilton or possibly a Rajai Davis if he gains some pop. He could also surmount to a utility player like Shane Robinson of the L.A Angels or Jarrod Dyson of the Kansas City Royals. The game could use a few more base stealers, the art is currently at its lowest demand. If White can’t conquer everyday status, he could at least be a postseason weapon off the bench.

He’s a few years away from being on the Marlins radar, hopefully by that time Miami will be playoff worthy in a young and tough NL East division. White is another prospect to keep a close eye on. He’ll awe you with his blazing speed, and within a year or two it should be evident what direction he is headed in with the bat.