Jerome Cardell "Jerry" White (born August 23, 1952 in Shirley, Massachusetts) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and former first base coach of the Minnesota Twins. He played for 11 seasons in the MLB, including stints with the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, and Saint Louis Cardinals. He also played two seasons in Japan for the Seibu Lions and Yokohama Taiyo Whales.
Career
Player
White was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 14th round of the 1970 MLB June Amateur Draft out of San Francisco's Washington High School. He made his major league debut on September 16, 1974, at Montreal's Jarry Park in a 3 - 2 Expos' loss to the New York Mets. His first full major league season came in 1976 as he hit .245 in 114 games with the Expos. On June 23, 1978, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs to complete an earlier deal made on June 9, 1978, in which the Expos acquired pitcher Woodie Fryman for a player to be named later.
White spent only 59 games in a Cubs' uniform; in late 1978 he was traded back to the Expos along with second baseman Rodney Scott for outfielder Sam Mejías.
In December 1985, White signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his final major league appearance on June 9, 1986, ironically against the Montreal Expos, the team he spent the majority of his professional career with. He retired with a career .253 batting average and 303 hits over an eleven season major league career.
Coaching
White was hired as the first base coach of the Minnesota Twins in 1998. In October 2012, after two consecutive seasons of 90+ losses, the Twins' front office decided to shake things up by releasing or reassigning six of seven coaches, including White.
Personal
White has two sons- Justin and Jerome, and a daughter Noell.
In 2006, he gained induction into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.