The outlier is becoming the front-runner. For some reason, the line of Houston Astros prospects who’ve made their MLB debuts and flopped is getting longer than the line for monthly bobblehead releases. Tyler White, with all the force his husky 5’11”, 225-pound frame can muster, is taking a bat and brutally shattering that paradigm.

In his 98 at-bats with Houston this season, White has pounded to a .306 average and 1.020 OPS. Fourteen of the right-hander’s 30 hits have gone for extra bases, including a first-inning triple Wednesday, August 22, which began the Astros’ scoring that ended up beating the Mariners, 10-7.

He added a home run, as well, after which this meme-worthy choreographed group mug/stare (aping Alex Bregman‘s latest “Blue Steel” thing and led by White) happened:

Tyler White, much like the now indispensable Tony Kemp, made himself a frequent visitor to Minute Maid Park from Triple-A Fresno on a regular basis for a couple years, only to be sent right back down after a couple of lackluster weeks and indistinguishable at-bats.

Related: Astros’ Dynamic Duo, Tony Kemp & Tyler White, Have Earned Spot on Playoff Roster

The Astro path to major league glory is littered with the likes of recently released Jon Singleton, AJ Reed, and more recently, Kyle Tucker, Derek Fisher, and JD Davis as examples this season of position players who have struggled to establish themselves after more than raking at the AAA level. Davis is currently punishing Pacific Coast League pitching and Tucker is likely due back up when rosters expand, as might the speedy Fisher, despite a growing outfield glut.

That ’16 Spring Thing

In the spring of 2016, as a non-roster invitee, White was embroiled in a training camp battle for first base with Singleton, Reed, and Matt Duffy. White came out ahead and made the Opening Day lineup. His elation lasted til mid-June, when he was sent to Fresno.

A couple more times on that Houston to Fresno elevator yielded a combined 2016 slash line of .217/.286/.664 in 276 plate appearances, and frankly, not much better at AAA (.241/.305/.805) in 190 PAs.

For the first couple weeks of April 2016, rookies White and Colorado’s shortstop Trevor Story were the tale of all MLB, with hits and homers flowing for both. Interestingly, the Rockies stuck to their Story, and he never again set foot on minor league terra firma, save for a four-game AAA rehab stint mid-May 2017.

White, a 33rd-round draft pick by the Astros in 2013 out of Western Carolina, needed a little more time for his stock to rise.

He Still Got a Ring

White’s 2017 can best be summed up by the fact that he was left off all of Houston’s postseason rosters, including the World Series one, so ineffectual was the mark left on the Astros by his presence. He began the season in Fresno and was called up in mid-July for three weeks, and in early September, for six weeks, before being optioned before the playoffs.

The Corner, Turned

Beginning 2018 in Fresno, White was promoted in mid-June, optioned a month later, and was recalled in late July. According to a recent Houston Chronicle article, White can credit his recent success to “daily preparation, and a consistent pregame routine that’s paid dividends since his most recent call-up on July 29.”

“I think it’s just trying to be consistent, trying to do the same thing on a daily basis to get ready for the games and just not press,” White explained. “Not try to get hits, just try to have good at-bats and help this team any way possible. That’s been the key.”

In doing so, he’s been forcing his way higher into the team’s pecking order, and forcing manager AJ Hinch to wedge him into the everyday lineup, either at 1B or DH. Second base, third, and left field are also spots where White has played, giving Hinch a few more options… and White a few more opportunities.

Jose Altuve’s recent activation from the disabled list offers some insight as to White’s current value: The team sent Tucker, an outfielder and top-ranked prospect, back to Fresno when an infielder was activated. The 27-year-old White stayed.

“He’s forced his way into this,” manager Hinch said, stating the obvious. “When you draw up how the lineup is going to shake out, and someone surprises you and pushes their way into the middle of the order….he’s been really good with his quality of at-bats, the production has been there and that’s why he’s getting to play.”