'It Was a Different Swing': Eli White Turning Heads Early in Rangers Spring Training
SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Texas Rangers have a lot to figure out in a short amount of time. With the 99-day lockout eating a sizable chunk out of spring training, Rangers management has a difficult task of deciphering who is worthy of making the Opening Day roster with only 18 Cactus League games on the schedule.
Two spots in the outfield are already claimed. Free-agent signing Kole Calhoun will take over right field while Adolis García, the Rangers Player of the Year in 2021, currently slots in as the center fielder, though he could slide over to left field depending on what happens in camp.
It's impossible to draw conclusions from the first couple days of spring training. Hitters are only taking batting practice and haven't even seen live pitching from fellow teammates in camp. Nobody can make the roster on Day One. For players that are vying for one of the 26 Opening Day roster spots, all they can do at this point is turn some heads and raise some eyebrows.
As the coaching staff broke down the first day of full squad workouts, part of the conversation in the room went a little something like this:
Manager Chris Woodward: "What do you think the highlight of the day was?"
Bench coach & offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker: "Eli White."
Woodward: "Without a doubt."
The normally clean-shaven White turned a few heads when he came into camp sporting a new beard. However, his work in the cage revealed a change Woodward and the coaching staff desired. What made the whole situation more difficult was the inability to communicate during the lockout.
"That's why I was so encouraged to see that," Woodward said. "He applied it and clearly worked on it. It was a different swing. I told him, 'You don't look that different in a beard, but I didn't recognize the swing.'"
Prior to the lockout, Ecker and hitting coach Tim Hyers put together a plan for White to work on during the lockout. The primary goal was fixing his bat path by trying to stay through the ball more and avoiding too much rotation in his swing; swinging around the ball. One way this stood out to Woodward during batting practice was driving a ball off the inside corner over the wall in left-center field.
"The only way you can do that is with the proper path," Woodward explained.
Because of White's recovery from elbow surgery, he was unable to swing in front of Ecker and Hyers before the players were locked out. They did, however, give White some drills to work on once he was able to get back in the cage in late December. So after a couple months of making adjustments, White was curious to see how the changes played out in front of the new hitting coaches.
"I was excited because I felt good about how things were going this offseason," White said. "I definitely see strides. I didn't feel good about how I swung the bat last year. I wanted to get to work and it was tough having this injury that kind of held me back a little bit."
Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
Coming off a significant injury and unable to work with the coaching staff are two major hurdles in the way of a young hitter who is trying to get better. Though White had everything laid out for him, the lack of any feedback could have been a dangerous road. It took a great deal of trust to stick with a plan that came without a safety net of certainty.
"I think it goes to just how they communicate," White explained. "In a couple times talking to them, they were able to relay what they wanted me to do. It painted a clear picture for the path they wanted me to be on. I bought into it. I think just how they relayed that information, even though we didn't get a ton of time talking, I think that just shows that they're good at what they do."
While the beard was a byproduct of the inability to shave while his elbow was in a sling, the changes to the swing were necessary for a player with loads of potential. The Rangers know that White is one of the fastest sprinters in all of baseball. They know he's already a very good outfielder, capable of playing all three spots. The bat is the last major question for White. If Ecker and Hyers can unlock that part of him, it could be a game-changer for Texas.
Of course, spring training just started. The Rangers need to see how the swing looks in live batting practice, then dive into how it plays during games. Even if he bats .600 during Cactus League action, he's still not guaranteed a roster spot. Adolis García was the Rangers' best player last spring and it took an injury to Ronald Guzmán in mid-April for him to get a shot.
In addition, White is in the final stages of his throwing program. He began throwing to bases this week and is about a week behind Opening Day for being fully cleared to play in big league games. But he'll get his chances during spring training games, and all he can do is exactly what he did during Day One of full squad workout: grab everyone's attention.
"If this swing takes shape, he's got the highest ceiling in our organization," Woodward said. "He's got the biggest engine. He's been a Ferrari for a while. We just haven't figured out how to get that thing started up and into third gear. If we can do that, I don't know what we have, really. The sky is the limit."
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