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It was just a short time ago that Evan White was in Lexington putting up numbers and flashing leather for the Kentucky Wildcats. Now he’s made the MLB hot stove news after agreeing to a long-term deal with the Seattle Mariners.

1B prospect Evan White (No. 58 on @MLBPipeline Top 100) is set to sign long-term deal with @Mariners. Guaranteed $24 mil over first six years, also includes three club options. Should be announced Monday. White hit .293/.350/.488 in Double-A this year, also outstanding defender. — Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) November 22, 2019

This indicates that the Mariners will be looking to him sooner rather than later to be a key part of their nucleus going forward. It is also historic because it marks the first time that a player in AA has been extended before being called up to MLB.

With the news that Evan White has signed a long-term deal with the @Mariners here's a look back at his career in Lexington in :#WeAreUK | #FridayFrames pic.twitter.com/dcTCsAyZDJ — Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) November 22, 2019

After being drafted in the first round (17th overall) in the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft, White spent 2017 with the Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League. His 2018 season was split three ways between the Tacoma Rainiers, Modesto Nuts and the Peoria Javelinas of the Pacific Coast League, California League and Arizona Fall League respectively.

White’s standout defense has been a staple of his game for years and his overall versatility had Mariners folks scrolling through the record books to come up with a player comparison from an analytics standpoint.

You want to know why Evan White is a big deal?



Mariners 1B to post >1.0 fWAR in the last dozen years:



2009: Russell Branyan



This concludes our list. — Joe (@JoeDoyleMiLB) November 22, 2019

Russell Branyan, that’s a blast from the past, but that’s the elite club that White will join. It will be exciting and interesting to see how his career progresses.

Photo Credit: MiLB