Eli Whiteside

2.1. Birth and Upbringing

Whiteside was born on October 22, 1979, in New Albany, Mississippi. He was raised on an 80 acre ^{(80 acre)} farm that belonged to his grandfather.

2.2. Education

Whiteside attended W. P. Daniel High School, where he participated in both baseball and soccer before graduating in 1998. He then spent three years at Delta State University, majoring in business. During his time at Delta State, he was an All-American, an All-Gulf South Conference, and an All-Region player for all three years with the baseball team, where he achieved a batting average of .390, an on-base percentage of .440, and a slugging percentage of .620.

2.3. Draft

Following his junior year in 2001, Whiteside was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round (173rd overall pick) of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft.

3.1. Baltimore Orioles (2001-2007)

Whiteside began his minor league career in 2001 with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League. In 61 games and 212 at bats, he batted .250 with 53 hits, seven home runs, and 28 runs batted in (RBI), finishing second on the team in home runs and posting a 41% caught stealing percentage.

The following season, he played for both the Single-A advanced Frederick Keys of the Carolina League and the Double-A Bowie Baysox of the Eastern League. He spent most of his time with Frederick, batting .259 with 89 hits, eight home runs, and 42 RBI in 80 games. With Bowie, he hit .263 with 26 hits, two home runs, and 11 RBI in 27 games. His combined totals for both leagues were 107 hits, 10 home runs, and 53 RBI in 107 games.

In 2003, Whiteside spent the entire season with Bowie (aside from a rehab assignment), batting .204 with 54 hits, one home run, and 23 RBI in 81 games. Defensively, he recorded a .989 fielding percentage and threw out 37% of baserunners. He continued with Bowie in 2004, hitting two home runs in single games against the Akron Aeros on May 17 and the Erie SeaWolves on July 28. He finished fourth in the Orioles' organization with 18 home runs that season. He batted .279 before the Eastern League All-Star break but only .206 afterward. In 90 games, he hit .253 with 75 hits, posting a .986 fielding percentage. Notably, he batted .310 in away games compared to .187 in home games. Following the season, he played for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League, batting .329 with 20 RBI in 18 games.

Whiteside advanced to the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx of the International League in 2005. On July 4, he was called up by the Orioles after Gerónimo Gil was placed on the disabled list. He made his Major League debut the next day as a defensive replacement in a game against the New York Yankees. Four days later, in his first Major League start, he recorded his first hit, an RBI single against Scott Cassidy in a victory over the Boston Red Sox. He appeared in six games, committing two throwing errors, one of which led to a tying run for the Minnesota Twins on July 19. Whiteside was sent back to Ottawa on July 25 when Javy López returned from the disabled list. In 95 games with Ottawa, he hit .233 with 74 hits, four home runs, and 27 RBI, maintaining a 40% caught stealing percentage. He was recalled in September, appearing in three more games, finishing the season with three hits and one RBI in nine games (12 at bats) with the Orioles.

In 2006, Whiteside was considered a long shot to make the Orioles' roster but remained in spring training until the final cuts, when he was sent back to Ottawa. On May 21, he had four RBI against the Rochester Red Wings, and he achieved back-to-back three-hit games against the Norfolk Tides on July 23 and 24. In 92 games with Ottawa, he batted .244 with 77 hits, 11 home runs, and 47 RBI. His batting average was .281 at home compared to .201 on the road.

In 2007, Whiteside again attended spring training but was reassigned to the minors on March 27. He began the season with the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides, but was reassigned to Bowie on May 11 after batting .180 in 18 games. He spent time on the disabled list from June 18 to July 12 with a fractured right cheekbone. Upon returning, he had a seven-game hitting streak but suffered a concussion on August 6, ending his season. In 42 games with Bowie, Whiteside hit .291 with 41 hits, four home runs, and 30 RBI. After the 2007 season, he filed for free agency, having played only nine Major League games during his seven years with the Orioles organization.

3.2. Minnesota Twins Organization (2008)

On November 24, 2007, Whiteside signed a contract with the Minnesota Twins for the 2008 season. He played in eight games with the Rochester Red Wings of the International League, batting .167 before being released on April 30 when Ryan Jorgensen returned from a suspension.

3.3. San Francisco Giants (2009-2012)

Five days after his release from the Twins, the San Francisco Giants signed Whiteside. He spent the remainder of 2008 with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League. In 49 games with Fresno, he batted .238 with 36 hits, two home runs, and 22 RBI, the most games played by any catcher for the Grizzlies that year. He posted a .986 fielding percentage but threw out only 7% of attempted base-stealers. Overall in 2008, between Rochester and Fresno, he hit .229 with 40 hits, three home runs, and 23 RBI in 57 games.

3.4. Offseason Moves and Waivers (2012-2013)

Following the 2012 season, Whiteside did not expect to return to the Giants due to Héctor Sánchez's emergence, stating his love for the team and organization despite anticipating a departure. On November 5, 2012, Whiteside was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees, agreeing to a one-year contract worth 625.00 K USD in the Major Leagues and 200.00 K USD in the Minors on November 26. Just two days later, the Yankees designated Whiteside for assignment to make room for Andy Pettitte. On December 3, he was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays.

3.5. Texas Rangers Organization (2013)

Nine days after being claimed by the Blue Jays, Whiteside was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers on December 12, 2012. He was designated for assignment by the Rangers on January 3, 2013, to make room for Jason Frasor on the 40-man roster. Whiteside cleared waivers the next day and was assigned to the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League.

Whiteside attended 2013 spring training as a non-roster invitee, appearing in five games. He played the 2013 season with the Round Rock Express, where he split time at catcher with Robinson Chirinos and José Félix. In 67 games (225 at bats) with the Express, he hit .187 with five home runs and 25 RBI. On October 1, he filed for free agency.

3.6. Chicago Cubs (2014)

On November 15, 2013, Whiteside signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, which included an invitation to spring training. He competed with John Baker and George Kottaras for the backup catcher role. On March 27, he was assigned to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League after Baker was given the backup role. His contract was selected from Iowa on June 3 when Welington Castillo was placed on the disabled list. Whiteside appeared in eight games with the Cubs, batting .120. He was designated for assignment on June 22 when Castillo returned from the disabled list and was sent outright to the Iowa Cubs on June 25. Whiteside elected free agency in October 2014.

4.1. Retirement

Whiteside signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves during the 2015 offseason but ultimately decided to retire from professional baseball on January 26, 2015.

4.2. Coaching Role

Following his retirement as a player, Whiteside returned to the San Francisco Giants organization, initially serving as a bullpen catcher. He has since advanced to the role of a roving catching instructor for the Giants.

5.1. Major League Batting Statistics

• Whiteside did not appear in Major League games in 2006, 2007, 2008, or 2013.

5.2. Minor League Career

Whiteside spent extensive time in the minor leagues throughout his career, progressing through Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels with various organizations. He played for teams such as the Delmarva Shorebirds, Frederick Keys, Bowie Baysox, Ottawa Lynx, Norfolk Tides, Rochester Red Wings, Fresno Grizzlies, Round Rock Express, and Iowa Cubs. His minor league career was marked by consistent playing time and development as a catcher, often serving as a veteran presence at the Triple-A level.

5.3. Uniform Numbers

• 15 (2005)
• 77 (2005)
• 22 (2009-2012)
• 32 (2014)

6.1. Family

Whiteside married his high school sweetheart, Amy, in 2004. They have two sons named Whit and Wake, who both play soccer at TFC New Albany. Whiteside is notably recognized by his completely gray hair, which he stated began to gray when he was in high school. He has expressed acceptance of his distinctive hair, remarking, "I've come to terms with it. As long as it doesn't fall out, I'll be doing all right, I think."

6.2. Community Recognition

After Whiteside and the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series, his hometown of New Albany, Mississippi, declared an "Eli Whiteside Day" in his honor and presented him with a key to the city.