John Whittleman

John William Whittleman

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Kingwood High School

• Born February 11, 1987 in Houston, TX USA

Minors BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder John Whittleman is a former Texas Rangers prospect.

He hit .396 as a high school senior to help his team to a state title. USA Today named him second-team All-American. The Rangers (behind scout Randy Taylor) took him in the second round of the 2005 amateur draft, between Chase Headley and Donnie Veal, the 67th overall pick. He was Texas's second selection, after John Mayberry Jr. and before Taylor Teagarden and German Duran among others. He turned down a scholarship offer from the University of Texas to sign for a $650,000 bonus.

Johnny made his pro debut with the AZL Rangers, hitting .279/.393/.426 with 8 triples and 35 RBI in 51 games. He was second in the Arizona League in three-baggers, 5th in RBI and second in walks (35, trailing Antoan Richardson). He struggled with the glove, fielding .883 at third and tying for the league lead in errors there (14). Baseball America rated him as the league's 5th-best prospect, between Jeff Bianchi and Jared Lansford; Bianchi was the only position player rated higher. His performance was not as good with the 2006 Clinton Lumber Kings as he batted only .227/.313/.343 and fielded .891, with a Midwest League-worst 34 errors at 3B to 43 RBI. For the West Oahu CaneFires that fall, he hit .189/.257/.358 while splitting third base with Yasushi Iihara. His four homers did tie Rodney Choy Foo, Mark Minicozzi and Cole Garner for second in the Hawaii Winter League, one behind Iihara.

In 2007, Whittleman had a productive year, hitting .271/.382/.476 in 95 games for Clinton and .240/.372/.413 in 29 games for the Bakersfield Blaze. He had 34 doubles, 17 home runs, 74 runs, 72 RBI and 86 walks on the season, though he again had 34 errors at 3B, fielding .891 there. He led Rangers farmhands in walks and was among the leaders in doubles (4th, two behind leader Jason Botts), homers (tied for 8th with Ian Gac), runs (tied for 9th with Nate Gold) and RBI (tied for 9th with Brandon Boggs). Baseball America said he had the best strike-zone discipline in the Texas system and in the California League. They listed him as the 14th-best Cal League prospect, between Jeff Manship and Juan Francisco. He appeared in the 2007 Futures Game, replacing Evan Longoria at third in a 7-2 US loss to the World. He did his share to help his club, hitting a solo homer off Deolis Guerra in the 5th and drawing a walk from Emiliano Fruto his other trip to the plate.

Whittleman split 2008 between the Blaze (.257/.370/.392, 36 2B, 81 BB in 118 G) and the Frisco RoughRiders (.258/.410/.419 in 9 G). For the year, he was third in the Texas chain in walks (89) and tied Mayberry for third in doubles. He led the California League in walks (two more than Eric Sogard) and was 7th in doubles. He led Cal League third basemen in putouts, assists and errors. With Frisco for all of 2009, the Houston native batted .224/.345/.361 with 28 doubles and 80 walks. He was third in the Texas chain in walks and tied Josh Donaldson for third in the Texas League (two behind Chris Carter and one behind Luis Durango). He led TL third basemen with 26 errors and 22 double plays.

John was moved to first base in 2010 and his hitting remained poor, as he batted .248/.379/.487 in 33 games for Bakersfield but only .201/.312/.320 in 74 games for Frisco. The lone positive offensively was his walk total, which remained high (67). No longer a prospect, he was acquired by the Kansas City Royals prior to the 2011 season in a trade for a player to be named later or cash.

With the 2011 Wilmington Blue Rocks, Whittleman had something of a resurgence, producing at a .234/.349/.451 clip with 20 home runs, 68 RBI and 76 walks; he was also 2 for 4 for the Omaha Storm Chasers. He was third in the Royals chain in home runs (behind Clint Robinson and Jamie Romak) and 5th in RBI. In the Carolina League, he tied for third in home runs (with Joey Terdoslavich, behind Gac and Andy Wilkins), was 7th in RBI, 6th in slugging and second in walks (two behind leader Tyler Holt).

In 2012, Whittleman hit .220/.359/.433 with 15 home runs and 67 walks in 93 games for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He was 6th in the TL in walks and tied for 10th in home runs at age 25.