Fun facts about Mike White:
-His father, Joyner "Jo-Jo" White, patrolled the outfield for the Tigers, A's, and Reds in the 1930s and 1940s, hitting .256 in nine seasons.
-Mike was born in Detroit, and signed with the Indians as an amateur free agent in 1959.
-After just two years in the Cleveland organization, White was released after suffering a leg injury. He spent a year with the Angels' AA team, then was drafted by the Houston Colt .45s.
-He batted .294 and .324 in his first two seasons in the Houston farm system. In 1963 he even hit for power for the first time in his pro career, clubbing 34 doubles, seven triples, and ten home runs. He earned a September callup late that year.
-His only full season as a major leaguer was 1964, when he collected 280 at bats in 89 games. He started fast, hitting .362 as late as June 9 before cooling down and finishing at .271. He went back to his singles-hitting ways as well, collecting 11 doubles and three triples but no home runs.
-Drove in a career-high four runs on three singles in Houston's 8-4 win over the Mets on May 23, 1964.
-Went 0-for-9 in limited action in the spring of 1965 before being sent back to AAA, never to return. He also toiled in the minors for the Angels (again) and Cubs before walking away at age 30 in 1969.
-Must have loved to face Vern Law (9-for-18) and Tony Cloninger (4-for-9, 1 2B, 2 BB). Hooray for small sample sizes!
-Oddly enough, he's the only player in major league history with the seemingly common name of Mike White.
-He shares a birthday (December 18) with former Yankee slugger Moose Skowron and Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.
I went to high school with not one but two kids named mike white.
ReplyDeleteand that is one sweet cartoon on the back of that card.