Brian Tyler White (born October 29, 1990) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

and the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

SK Wyverns SSG Landers () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team. The team was originally established as the SK Wyverns but was renamed as the SSG Landers in 2021 after Shinsegae acquired the team from SK Group. They are a membe ...

Career

After graduating from Chase High School in

Forest City, North Carolina Forest City, formerly known as "Burnt Chimney", is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,377 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in the county. History The Alexander Manu ...

, White played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

Western Carolina University Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU ...

. In 2013, his senior year, he slashed .363/.423/.661 with 16 home runs and 66 RBIs in 59 games. After the season, he was drafted by the

in the 33rd round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

Houston Astros

He spent his first professional season with the

Gulf Coast Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays it ...

Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie League, Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park (stadium), Pioneer Park, their h ...

and

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

. In 2014, he played for the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

and

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League B ...

. White started 2015 with the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

and was later promoted to the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

of the Triple–A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. The Astros invited White to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2016, and included him on their

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster. He collected his first Major League hit off of

Chasen Shreve Chasen Dean Shreve (born July 12, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, N ...

. In his first six Major League games, he hit .556 (10 for 18) with 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBIs, a .597 on-base percentage and a 1.167 slugging percentage, and was awarded American League Player of the Week. He was sent down to the Fresno Grizzlies on June 17, 2016. He would play 85 games for the Astros in 2016, finishing with a .217 average, 8 home runs, and 28 RBI. In 2017, White spent most of his time in the Minors, but still played 22 games with the Astros, compiling a .279 batting average, 3 home runs, and 10 RBI. The Astros finished the year with a 101–61 record, and won the

2017 World Series The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and th ...

but White was not on the World Series roster. In 2018, White spent time in Fresno and Houston, serving as first baseman and designated hitter for the Astros. On August 29, 2018, White hit a walk-off home run against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. It was also the 81st total walk-off home run of the 2018 MLB season. On May 7, 2019, in a blowout from the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, White pitched a scoreless ninth inning, giving up one walk and striking out

Chris Owings Christopher Scott Owings (born August 12, 1991) is an American professional baseball utility player who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Co ...

in the process. On June 5, 2019, White pitched in another blowout loss to the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. On June 16, 2019, White pitched for the 3rd time on the season against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in another blowout loss. On June 26, White pitched again in the 9th inning in a blow out loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. On July 19, 2019, Manager

A. J. Hinch Andrew Jay Hinch (born May 15, 1974) is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher who is the manager of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a member of Team USA, Hinch won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer O ...

announced that White would be designated for assignment. Upon his designation, White was hitting .225 with only 3 home runs in 253 plate appearances. During his time with the Astros, White earned the nickname "Big Puddin'." The name was originally bestowed upon him by Josh Innes, but came to mainstream popularity when on August 28, 2018, White hit a walk off homerun against the Oakland A's. Steve Sparks, of the

Houston Astros Radio Network The Houston Astros Radio Network is an American broadcast network of radio affiliates in operation since 1962 that broadcast coverage of the Houston Astros before, during, and after that team's games. Radio content is broadcast in both the Engl ...

, referred to White as "Big Puddin'."

Robert Flores Robert Flores (born July 7, 1970) is a sports journalist, who works for MLB Network and NHL Network as a studio host for each. He fills in for Hot Stove on MLB Network. Flores formerly worked at ESPN. Joining the network in 2005, Flores was an ...

MLB Network MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with TNT Sports (United States), TNT Sports, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications h ...

tweeted his approval of the nickname and later referred to White as "Big Puddin'" on the MLB Network. On August 29, 2018 Sportstalk 790 (

KBME (AM) KBME (790 kHz) is a sports-talk AM radio station in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is currently owned by iHeartMedia. The station airs local sports-talk and carries nationally syndicated Fox Sports Radio programming. KBME is also the ...

), via twitter, asked Astros fans to vote for Tyler White's nickname. "Big Puddin'" won with 53.2% of the vote.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 25, 2019, White was traded to the

in exchange for

Andre Scrubb Andre Darrell Scrubb (born January 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played college baseball at High Point University. Scrubb was select ...

. He played in 12 games for the Dodgers, and had only one hit in 22 at-bats (.045). He went on the injured list on August 14 with a right trapezius strain He was later shut down for the season and ruled out for the playoffs. On February 10, 2020, White was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minor leagues. White was released on July 14, 2020.

SK Wyverns

On July 15, 2020, White signed with the

of the

. He became a free agent following the season.

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 15, 2020, White signed a minor league contract with the

organization and was invited to Spring Training.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 9, 2021, White signed a minor league contract with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

Atlanta Braves

On August 16, 2022, White was traded to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

in exchange for cash considerations and assigned to the Triple-A

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

. In 28 games for Gwinnett down the stretch, he hit .227/.357/.352 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI. White elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Minnesota Twins

On December 5, 2022, White signed a minor league contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. He began the 2023 season with the Triple-A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

, batting .259/.386/.414 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI.

New York Mets

On May 28, 2023, White was traded to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. In 12 games for the Triple–A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which ope ...

, he batted .256/.360/.279 with no home runs and 3 RBI. On July 21, White retired from professional baseball.

References

External links

Western Carolina Catamounts bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Tyler 1990 births Living people Baseball players from North Carolina Major League Baseball first basemen Houston Astros players Los Angeles Dodgers players Western Carolina Catamounts baseball players Greeneville Astros players 21st-century American sportsmen Gulf Coast Astros players Tri-City ValleyCats players Quad Cities River Bandits players Lancaster JetHawks players Corpus Christi Hooks players Fresno Grizzlies players Estrellas Orientales players SSG Landers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Nashville Sounds players Gwinnett Stripers players St. Paul Saints players Syracuse Mets players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in South Korea People from Cleveland County, North Carolina