Frank White
| Birthdate | 9/4/1950 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1973 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Royals |
| Position | Second Base |
Twice the Royals Player of the Year, five-time All-Star Frank White was the first American League second baseman to earn 8 Gold Glove Awards.
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Frank White got his start in pro baseball at KC owner Ewing Kauffman's Royals Academy
Frank White got his start in pro baseball at KC owner Ewing Kauffman's Royals Academy
Frank White’s road to big league baseball was as unlikely as any player who’s ever made it. His Lincoln High School in Kansas City didn’t field a baseball team. Unable to play in a prep league, White turned to the area’s amateur leagues.
In 1970 White White went for a tryout at team owner Ewing Kauffman’s Kansas City Royals Academy. Kauffman preferred only unmarried players at the academy. Wedded and already with an infant son, the 19-year old White believed he would be cut.
According to Richard Bogovich’s SABR biography on White, things quickly worked out.
“White was crushed when he also overheard that the plan was to send only unmarried players to the academy. White was married, and he and his wife, Gladys, had a baby, Frank III. When his tryout concluded, he thought his baseball playing days were over.
“ ‘Then, something that only happens in movies happened to me,’ White’s 2012 autobiography says. ‘Later that day, I was at my parents’ house and I hear this commotion outside. I look out the window and there is a big blue limo parked in front of our house.’ It was Kauffman’s, but the owner wasn’t in it. He didn’t send it to take White somewhere; he only wanted to speak with White on the limousine’s car phone (decades before there were such things as cell phones). ‘I’d never talked on a phone in a car before – I didn’t even know there was anything like that – and we started our conversation,’ the book says. Kauffman said another married player, catcher Art Sanchez, agreed to attend the academy, and Kauffman would give Frank’s wife, Gladys, a job in the camp’s ticket office if that would enable White to enroll. White replied that he’d need to discuss the offer with his wife and parents first, and soon agreed.”
The gamble paid off. White became one of the most important players in team history. On July 31, 2004 a statue of White was unveiled at Royals Stadium.
Shown here is the signature of Royals franchise founder Ewing Kauffman. Owner of the club from its inception in 1969 until his death in 1993, Kauffman has appeared on the Veterans Committee ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Frank White hit .545 as the MVP of the 1980 ALCS; in the '85 World Series his 6 RBI led all performers
Frank White hit .545 as the MVP of the 1980 ALCS; in the '85 World Series his 6 RBI led all performers
Eight-time Gold Glove Award recipient Frank White was known for his outstanding defensive play. The second baseman remains the Royals franchise leader in defensive WAR at 22.0.
He also came through in the clutch at the plate. White propelled the Royals to their first World Series appearance in 1980. In the ALCS he hit .545 with a .909 slugging percentage to earn the Series Most Valuable Player Award. Five years later when Kansas City earned their first championship, it was White who led both teams in RBI as the Royals World Series cleanup man.
White represented the Royals in five All Star games and was twice the team’s Player of the Year. With his closet full of Gold Glove Awards and his 2,006 hits, he was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1995.
His page on the Royals Hall of Fame official website reads, “Playing the game with unmatched style and grace, White became one of the greatest second basemen in baseball history. He was a two-time Royals Player of the Year and a five-time All-Star. He was the first American League second baseman to ever collect eight Gold Gloves. Renowned for defensive excellence, White was a complete player. He hit .545 in the 1980 American League Championship Series to win MVP honors, and he batted cleanup and led all players with six RBI in the 1985 World Series.”
Shown here is a document transferring White from Single-A San Jose to Double-A Jacksonville on June 3, 1972. He made his MLB debut a year and ten days later. White’s signature is seen in blue pen in the middle of the document.
Frank White retired #2 on the Royals list to George Brett in games, at bats and hits
Frank White retired #2 on the Royals list to George Brett in games, at bats and hits
Frank White retired in 1990 after 18 years with the Kansas City Royals. At that time his 2,324 games, 7,859 at bats, and 2,006 base hits trailed only George Brett on the franchise leaderboard. White remains #2 in the three categories today. He also stands 1st in dWAR, 5th in WAR among position players, 3rd in doubles and total bases, and 5th in triples and RBI.
White’s career statistics include 2,006 hits, 407 doubles, 160 homers, and 3,009 total bases.
His efforts gained White induction into the team Hall of Fame in 1995.
Shown here is a typed letter on Royals letterhead in which George Brett shares his favorite quote.The only player to earn a batting title in three different decades, Brett is one of the greatest third basemen in the history of the game. A career .305 hitter, Brett played 21 seasons, all with Kansas City.
