| Eli Whiteside | |
|---|---|
 Whiteside with the San Francisco Giants | |
| Catcher /Bullpen Catcher | |
| Born: (1979-10-22)October 22, 1979 (age 45) New Albany, Mississippi, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 5, 2005, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 21, 2014, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .210 |
| Home runs | 10 |
| Runs batted in | 45 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Dustin Eli Whiteside (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher who is currently a roving catching instructor for theSan Francisco Giants. He stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall, weighs 220 pounds (100 kg). He batted and threw right-handed. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theBaltimore Orioles,San Francisco Giants, andChicago Cubs.
Whiteside attendedDelta State University before being drafted in the sixth round of the2001 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He played in their organization through 2007, though he only played nine games in the major leagues with the Orioles, all coming in 2005. He signed with theMinnesota Twins in 2008 but was released after playing for theirTriple-A team for a month. The San Francisco Giants then signed him, assigning him to the minor leagues. He was called up to be their backup catcher in May 2009, and he caughtJonathan Sánchez's no-hitter on July 10. In 2010, he remained the backup catcher and was on the Giants' roster when they won theWorld Series, despite not playing any playoff games.
After an injury toBuster Posey in May 2011, Whiteside split time catching withChris Stewart for the rest of the year. He lost the role of backup toHéctor Sánchez in 2012 and appeared in just 12 games for the Giants during their secondWorld Series-winning season in three years. Following 2012, Whiteside was claimed off waivers multiple times by different clubs before finally winding up with theTexas Rangers, who assigned him to their Triple-A team in 2013. In 2014, he competed for a spot on the Cubs' roster but was beaten out byJohn Baker and sent to the minors.
Whiteside was born on October 22, 1979, inNew Albany,Mississippi. He was raised on an 80-acre farm that belonged to his grandfather. Whiteside attended W. P. Daniel High School, where he played both baseball and soccer before graduation in 1998.
He then spent three years atDelta State University, majoring in business.[1] At Delta State, he was an All-American, an All-Gulf South Conference, and an All-Region player all three years with the baseball team, in which he batted .390/.440/.620.[2] After his junior year in 2001, theBaltimore Orioles drafted Whiteside in the sixth round of theMajor League Baseball (MLB) Draft.[3]
Whiteside began his minor league career in 2001 with theSingle-ADelmarva Shorebirds of theSouth Atlantic League. In 61games (212at bats), hebatted .250 with 53hits, sevenhome runs, and 28runs batted in (RBI).[4] He finished second on the club in home runs and had acaught stealing percentage of 41%.[1] Next season, he played for both theSingle-A advancedFrederick Keys of theCarolina League and theDouble-ABowie Baysox of theEastern League. He spent most of the season with Frederick, batting .259 with 89 hits, eight home runs, and 42 RBI in 80 games (313 at bats). In 27 games (99 at bats) with Bowie, he hit .263 with 26 hits, two home runs, and 11 RBI. His combined totals for the two leagues were 107 hits, 10 home runs, and 53 RBI in 107 games (412 at bats).[4]
Outside of a rehab assignment, Whiteside spent all of 2003 with Bowie. In 81 games (265 at bats), he batted .204 with 54 hits, one home run, and 23 RBI. Defensively, he had a .989fielding percentage and threw out 37% of baserunners. In 2004, Whiteside again played with Bowie.[4] He had two-home-run games against theAkron Aeros on May 17 and theErie SeaWolves on July 28, finishing fourth in the Orioles' organization on the season with 18 home runs. He batted .279 before the Eastern LeagueAll-Star break but hit just .206 afterwards.[1] In 90 games (297 at bats), he hit .253 with 75 hits. Defensively, he posted a .986 fielding percentage.[4] He batted .310 in away games as opposed to .187 in home games. Following the season, he played for thePeoria Javelinas of theArizona Fall League, batting .329 with 20 RBI in 18 games.[1]
Whiteside moved up to theTriple-AOttawa Lynx of theInternational League in 2005, and the Orioles signed veteran catcherSal Fasano to mentor him.[4][5] On July 4, Whiteside was called up by the Orioles afterGerónimo Gil was placed on thedisabled list.[6] He made his major league debut the next day, entering as adefensive replacement for Fasano in a 12–3 loss to theNew York Yankees.[7] Four days later, making his first major league start, he got his first hit, an RBIsingle againstScott Cassidy in a 9–1 victory over theBoston Red Sox.[8] He appeared in six games and committed two throwingerrors, one of which was important. On July 19, he made a wild throw to second base on a stolen base attempt that putJoe Mauer in position to score the tying run from third on awild pitch in a 4–3 loss to theMinnesota Twins.[9] Whiteside was sent back to Ottawa on July 25 whenJavy López came off the disabled list.[10] In 95 games (317 at bats) with Ottawa, Whiteside hit .233 with 74 hits, four home runs, and 27 RBI while posting a caught stealing percentage of 40%.[4] He was also called up in September, appearing in three more games. In nine games (12 at bats) with the Orioles, Whiteside had three hits and one RBI.[1]
Whiteside was considered a "long shot" to make the Orioles' roster in 2006, but he remained in spring training with the Orioles until they made their final cuts on April 1 and sent him to Ottawa.[11][12] On May 21, Whiteside had four RBI in a game against theRochester Red Wings, and he had back-to-back three-hit games against theNorfolk Tides from July 23 through 24.[1] In 92 games (315 at bats) with Ottawa in 2006, Whiteside batted .244 with 77 hits, 11 home runs, and 47 RBI.[4] His batting average was .281 at home compared to .201 on the road.[1] In 2007, Whiteside attended spring training but was reassigned to the minors on March 27, coinciding with the Orioles' acquisition ofAlberto Castillo.[13] Whiteside began the season with the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, which was now the Norfolk Tides, but after he batted .180 in 18 games he was reassigned to Bowie on May 11. He spent time on the disabled list from June 18 through July 12 with a fractured right cheekbone. Upon returning, he had a seven-gamehitting streak, but he was lost for the season on August 6 after suffering a concussion.[1] In 42 games (141 at bats) with Bowie, Whiteside hit .291 with 41 hits, four home runs, and 30 RBI.[4] After 2007, he filed for free agency, having played in only nine major league games during his seven years with the Orioles.[14]
On November 24, 2007, Whiteside signed a contract with theMinnesota Twins for the 2008 season. He played in eight games with theRochester Red Wings of the International League, batting .167 before getting released on April 30 whenRyan Jorgensen returned from serving a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.[15]
Five days after getting released by the Twins, theSan Francisco Giants signed Whiteside.[14] He spent the rest of the year with the Triple-AFresno Grizzlies of thePacific Coast League. In 49 games, the most by any catcher with Fresno in 2008, Whiteside batted .238 with 36 hits, two home runs, and 22 RBI.[16] He had a .986 fielding percentage but only threw out seven percent of attempted base-stealers. In 57 games (175 at bats) between Rochester and Fresno, he hit .229 with 40 hits, three home runs, and 23 RBI.[4]
The next season, Whiteside started the year at Fresno again, batting .241 with 28 hits, six home runs, and 24 RBI in 34 games (116 at bats).[4] However, after an elbow injury preventedPablo Sandoval from catching, the Giants called up Whiteside to be the backup catcher forBengie Molina on May 24, 2009.[17] The same day, he played his first major league game in four years (and his first for aNational League team). He finished the game with a hit and an RBI in three at-bats.[18]Matt Cain said of Whiteside, "He's been great. He's a guy who definitely takes advantage of his days in between, when he's not catching, and asking what guys threw in situations and what the pitches were, so he isn't thrown into the fire the days he's starting. Even if he doesn't see a team, he's still figuring out how guys got them out. He's definitely always learning."[17]On July 10, 2009, Molina was scheduled to catch, but was unable to because he went to see his wife, who was having a baby. Whiteside caught in his place, andJonathan Sánchez, starting in place of the injuredRandy Johnson,[19] threw ano-hitter against theSan Diego Padres. When asked if he thought it was more unlikely for Sánchez to throw a no-hitter or for him to catch it, he said, "Probably me catching one."[20]He hit agrand slam, his first Major League home run, againstBrian Moehler of theHouston Astros in a 10–6 Giants' victory on August 5, 2009.[21] He joinedBobby Bonds,Dave Kingman,Brandon Crawford andBrian Dallimore as the only Giants to hit a grand slam for their first home run.[1] He finished the year with 29 hits in 49 games (126 at-bats), two home runs, and 13 RBI. Defensively, he posted a .993 fielding percentage while catching 39% of attempted base stealers.[14]
In 2010, for the first time in his career, Whiteside made anMLB team out ofspring training.[22] He served as Sánchez's personal catcher for much of the season, catching 19 of his starts. Following Molina's trade to theTexas Rangers on June 30, Whiteside saw his playing time reduced asBuster Posey caught more and more games; Whiteside would only start six of the Giants' final 57 games.[1][23][24] He finished the regular season with a .238 batting average, appearing in 73 games. Though Whiteside did not appear in any playoff games, he was on the team's roster throughout the playoffs, earning his first career championship title after the Giants won the series against the Rangers.[14][25][26]
In 2011, Whiteside again began the year as the backup catcher. However, following Posey's season-ending leg injury on May 25, 2011, he moved into a more prominent role, splitting starting time withChris Stewart.[27][28][29][30] On June 22, he had two hits (including a triple) and a season-high three RBI in a 5–2 victory over the Twins.[31] He had a season-high three hits on July 14 in a 12-inning, 6–2 victory over San Diego.[32] From August 19 through August 25, he was on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion.[33][34] In 82 games (213 at bats), Whiteside hit .197 with 42 hits, four home runs, and 17 RBI.[1] Defensively, he threw out 25% of attempted base stealers.[14] He wasnon-tendered after the season and briefly became a free agent before being re-signed to a one-year deal with the Giants.[35][36]
In 2012 spring training, Whiteside competed with Stewart for the backup catcher job. However, the Giants ultimately decided to give the role to prospectHéctor Sánchez, a promising hitter who had been expected to start the season with Fresno to work on his defense. Stewart was traded to the Yankees and Whiteside was sent to Fresno.[37][38] In 60 games (201 at bats) with Fresno, he hit .224 with 45 hits, one home run, and 20 RBI.[4] On July 18, 2012, Whiteside was called up from Fresno when Héctor Sánchez was placed on the disabled list, appearing in six games before being optioned back to Fresno on August 1 when Sánchez returned from the disabled list.[39][40] He was then recalled on August 26 to be the third-string catcher.[41] Whiteside appeared in 12 games with the Giants in 2012, having one hit (an RBI double) in 11 at bats.[1] He threw out three out of five attempted base stealers.[14] This time, he was left off the playoff roster as the Giants went on to win theWorld Series in a four-game sweep against theDetroit Tigers.[1]
Due to the emergence of Héctor Sánchez, Whiteside did not expect to return to the Giants after 2012. "I didn't really think I'd be back with the Giants. Love that team and love that organization. They've got a good thing going there. Good group of guys and I've enjoyed the time I've spent there."[42] On November 5, 2012, Whiteside was claimed off waivers by theNew York Yankees, agreeing to terms with them on a one-year contract worth $625,000 in the Major Leagues and $200,000 in the Minors on November 26.[43] Just two days later, the Yankees designated Whiteside for assignment to make room forAndy Pettitte.[44] On December 3, he was claimed off waivers by theToronto Blue Jays.[44]
Nine days later, Whiteside was claimed off waivers by theTexas Rangers.[45] He was designated for assignment by the Rangers on January 3, 2013, and removed from the 40 man roster to make room forJason Frasor.[46] Whiteside cleared waivers the next day and was assigned to the Rangers' Triple-A affiliateRound Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League.[47]
Whiteside attended 2013 spring training as a non-roster invitee, appearing in five games.[1] He played 2013 with the Round Rock Express, where he split time at catcher withRobinson Chirinos andJosé Félix.[48] In 67 games (225 at bats) with the Express, he hit .187 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI.[4] On October 1, he filed for free agency.[4]
On November 15, 2013, Whiteside signed a minor league contract with theChicago Cubs, with an invitation to spring training.[14] He competed withJohn Baker andGeorge Kottaras for the backup catcher role, and was assigned to the Triple-AIowa Cubs of thePacific Coast League on March 27 when Baker was given the role.[49] His contract was selected from Iowa on June 3 whenWelington Castillo was placed on the disabled list.[50] Whiteside appeared in eight games, batting .120.[1] He was designated for assignment on June 22 when Castillo returned from the disabled list, and sent outright to the Iowa Cubs on June 25.[51] Whiteside elected free agency in October 2014.[52]
He signed a minor league contract with theAtlanta Braves during the off-season in 2015, but decided to retire instead.[53]He returned to the San Francisco Giants as abullpen catcher.[54]
Whiteside married his high school sweetheart, Amy, in 2004. They have two sons: Whit and Wake who play soccer at TFC New albany.[42] Whiteside is easily recognized by his completely gray hair, which he said began to gray when he was in high school. Whiteside said, "I've come to terms with it. As long as it doesn't fall out, I'll be doing all right, I think."[17] After Whiteside won the2010 World Series, his hometown of New Albany declared an "Eli Whiteside Day" and presented Whiteside with a key to the city.[55]
