The Atlanta Braves made another trade acquisition on December 28th. This time, they acquire outfielder Eli White from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations. Hoy Park was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man.
The #Braves tonight acquired OF Eli White from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club designated INF Hoy Park for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 29, 2022
White had been designated for assignment by the Rangers on December 23rd and the Braves saw something in him to scoop him up. White was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 16th round of the 2016 MLB draft. He was then traded to the Texas Rangers in December 2018. He would make his MLB debut during the COVID season of 2020.
Offensively, White has not been anything to note. For his career, he has a line of .185/.260/.296 with 9 HR, 47 R, 28 RBI, 17 SB, with a .249 wOBA & 56 wRC+.
However, White has been elite defensively when given an opportunity in the outfield. In 890 outfield innings, he has totaled 11 DRS and 10 OAA total in the outfield. DRS likes him more in LF where he has 11 DRS in 483.2 innings while OAA grades him well in both LF (6 OAA) and CF (4 OAA). He brings elite speed, with a sprint speed in the 98th percentile and a great arm strength that grades in the 77th percentile.
Eli White makes arguably the catch of the year pic.twitter.com/1IL6N9Yf18
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 24, 2022
He is more depth for the outfield. He does fit a similar defensive mold to that of Sam Hilliard and Jordan Luplow who have good defensive grades in left field with strong arms. White, if he remains with the organization, will most likely serve as the emergency outfield option in the event of an injury to one of the regulars.
Alex Anthopoulos is searching the bargain bins for some value and he has a type. He does have a decent track record with these types of moves. Hopefully, Eli White works out for the Braves!