Carson City umpire chosen to work Futures All-Star Game
Simply put, this is the best umpiring assignment Nate White has ever received.
White, a Carson High graduate, has been selected to umpire second base for today’s Futures All-Star game at Target Field in Minneapolis. The game kicks off Major League Baseball’s all-star break. The game will be televised on the MLB Network at 2 p.m.
Not only is the 29-year-old White doing the Futures game, he will also be umpiring the celebrity softball game and he’ll also be on the field for the ESPN-televised Home Run Derby on Monday night.
“I’m very excited and honored to be selected,” White said earlier this week from Texas where he works as a crew chief in the Texas League. “I guess I’m doing well.
“I’m not sure how I’ll be used for the home run derby. I may be on one of the foul lines for pole benders.”
And, the best thing is that he’ll get to work in front of some friendly faces, namely his mom, Kathy, dad, Steve, and wife, Adria.
“I’m going to be able to stay for the game on Tuesday,” White said. “It will be the first time in quite a while that my dad and I have been able to watch a game together, so that’s very big and exciting to me.”
White, though he won’t admit it, appears to be on the fast track and within reach of accomplishing his dream of someday umpiring in Major League Baseball.
And, one of his biggest fans is Tom Kayser, the president of the Texas League.
“It’s a feather in your cap to be selected to work the Futures game,” Kayser said. “It means you are one of the best Double A umpires. It means you are seriously being looked at by Major League Baseball. We had six (former) Texas League umpires make their debut in Major League Baseball this year.
“He is so high up on the list of umpires, I don’t think there is any way that he doesn’t get promoted to Triple A over the winter. He enjoys being out there, and he goes on to the field with a smile on his face. Nate is able to handle situations without making them worse. I’ve seen a lot of good umpires come through here who don’t have the ability to handle situations without being arrogant or overreacting, Nate knows how to handle people. He can be tough when he has to be. He’s very well regarded (in the Texas League).”
When you ask White about a possible promotion, he sounds subdued, like he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself or jinx himself.
“I feel like I’m doing well,” he said. “I have no idea about next year and what they will do with me. At the end of the year I’ll get an idea of what they’re going to do with me. Right now, I’m working on getting better. I’ve got to get better.”
White is unfortunately is in a profession where you are supposed to be perfect at the start and get better. Fortunately, his job security isn’t decided by the fans or players. His fate is in the hands of league presidents and Major League Baseball, two impartial bodies,
In six seasons, White has been selected to work three league all-star games, including this year’s Texas League contest. That’s not a bad start to a professional career.
White’s progress is no surprise to veteran umpire Mike Evans, who assigns games for the Northern Nevada Officials Association. He has high praise for White.
“When Nate first joined our chapter, he was still in high school,” Evans said. “It was evident to me right away that he was an absolute natural. People talked about how smooth he was on the baseball field. That was an understatement. He had an untouchable feel for the game. He was so good, he could have done varsity games right away, but the NIAA doesn’t allow high school students to work varsity games. It was only a matter of time before Nate was either going to be a Division I official or professional umpire.”
So tune in today and support White at least in spirit. You very well could be looking at a future MLB umpire.
