We Should Have Seen the Rise of Braves Eli White Coming

The Atlanta Braves outfielder's last couple games have garnered attention for a bat that has been showing signs of coming into its own for some time

Eli White's latest performance didn't come out of nowhere | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves Eli White had another clutch night at the plate in Friday night’s 8-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

He went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. He’s risen his batting average and OPS to .280 and .837. In his last 12 plate appearances, he’s batting .455 with a 1.318 OPS, one home run and five RBIs. 

White’s solid night comes the game after he hit a go-ahead three-run shot to give the Braves a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. 

These last couple games came what felt like out of nowhere. His speed was what got him his spot on the big league roster, not his bat. White also struggled during the playing time he got early for most of his career. In his first 136 games, he batted. 181 and had a .546 OPS. 

It was going to take a standout moment or two to start getting his bat more attention. However, when you look back at some of the recent numbers, we should have seen this coming. 

White was sharp at the plate down in North Port, Fla. during Spring Training. In 44 Grapefruit League games, White batted .318 with a .843 OPS. His regular-season stats are closing in on what we saw in the Spring. 

These are Spring Training stats, sure. While it can be seen as progression, it’s easy to be written off. However, he was hitting well toward the end of last season too. 

He only got the occasional plate appearance, but he batted .282 with a .725 OPS. He helped keep a rally alive in the back-and-forth 8-7 loss to the New York Mets in the post-hurricane doubleheader. He got on base twice following coming in as a defensive sub and stole a base and scored a run. 

Factor in the weak performance of the outfield bats this season, White is getting more chances. 

The Braves are starting to win, and when a team is winning, they going to stick with what’s starting to work. White's last couple of games couldn't have come at a better time for him.