How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a
one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San
Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the
players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the
postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general
manager. Part three tells us the story of the Giants' number three catcher, Eli Whiteside.
Dustin Eli Whiteside was born on October 22, 1979, in New Albany, Mississippi. He attended high school in the same city at W.P. Daniel High School, and then furthered his education at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. At the end of his college years, he was a sixth round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in the 2001 draft. From 2001 to 2007, he played for various teams in the Orioles' farm system. His first team was the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League. In 2002, Whiteside spent most of his time with the Class A Advanced Frederick Keys of Frederick, Maryland and also made a jump up to Class AA, where he played with the Bowie Baysox of Bowie, Maryland. An injury in the 2003 season cost hm some time with the Eastern League Baysox, and he made brief appearances in Sarasota, Florida with the Gulf Coast League Orioles at the Rookie level, and also with the Aberdeen IronBirds in the New York-Pennsylvania League, a touch below the Class A level. He continued to play with Bowie in the 2004 season, and throughout his first few years, he proved to be a marginal hitter with an average hovering between .250 and .260, while also averaging nine home runs and forty-two runs batted in per season. Whiteside's defense also wasn't spectacular, but he served his teams reasonably well at the catcher position. For 2005 and 2006, Whiteside spent his time in the Class AAA International League with the Ottawa Lynx in Ottawa, Ontario, and in the 2005 season, he appeared in nine games with the major league Orioles squad. His production at this level dipped a bit, and he found himself spending a lot of the 2007 season back with the Baysox, where he played much better. This earned him another chance, although in 2007, the Orioles switched their AAA affiliation to the Norfolk Tides in Norfolk, Virginia. In his limited time here, he struggled, and the Orioles let him walk at the end of the year. He was signed by the Minnesota Twins, but only appeared in eight games with their AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings of Rochester, New York, before being released. He was discovered in very little time by the San Francisco Giants, and the rest of the 2008 season saw him play with the Fresno Grizzlies in the Pacific Coast League. He again played for the Grizzlies in 2009, but from late May onward, he was up with the Giants in a back-up catcher role. His numbers were not impressive at the major league level, but he stayed with the Giants in 2010 and 2011 as well, playing as back-up to Buster Posey in 2010 and was along for the ride as the Giants won the World Series in 2010 before taking on a larger role after Posey's gruesome leg injury in 2011. He struggled to excel in this larger role, watching his average fall below the Mendoza line by the end of the 2011 campaign. In 2012, he shuttled back and forth between Fresno and San Francisco, struggling mightily in both places. His particularly weak numbers at the major league level prompted the Giants to name Hector Sanchez as Posey's back-up, and it was only an injury to Sanchez that allowed him to stick on the roster in July, and then he was called back to the majors as rosters expanded in September. While his contributions to the 2012 Giants were few and far between, Whiteside can take comfort in knowing that his team was able to win the World Series.
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