Devon Markes White, a minor league instructor with the White Sox, has a great Caribbean rags to riches story.  

White, who was in the Cayman Islands recently as part of the Spring 2012 Cayman Islands Little League White Sox camp, 

was born and raised in Jamaica, in the capital of Kingston, in the early 1960s. By the age of nine, his family immigrated to the United States, where he would pick up baseball (not the most popular of sports in his homeland). Nicknamed ‘Devo,’ he would progress to the highest level, enjoying a 17-year professional career that netted him millions.  

His aptitude on the field allowed him to see much of the States, from the West Coast as a California Angel in 1985 to down South as a member of the Florida Marlins. He even saw some of Canada as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Accomplishments would follow him too as he earned three World Series rings, seven Gold Glove awards and three all-star nominations. 

White talked about his career when he attended the Little League White Sox camp. The clinics featured three coaches from the BullSox Training Academy, the youth development side of Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox, in hitting/defence instructor James Nash (who played professionally in Europe), pitching instructor/scout Larry Owens and hitting/fielding instructor Sam Zagorac. Together they taught hundreds of youngsters, aged 5-18, at the Field of Dreams facility in George Town. 

White, 49, says he realises how well his life turned out. 

“I’m blessed. I’m fortunate to get to the place I am today,” White said. “By no means do I take it for granted. Now I work to train kids that have the ability to go the next level. A lot of kids here (in Cayman) need professionalism to get to that next level. They can take that first step by playing competitively at a competitive level. To play in say, Miami or the Dominican Republic, that should be the goal.” 

After retiring in 2002, White has been keeping busy in his personal life. One of the biggest moves came in 2003 when he filed documents in Scottsdale, Arizona to go back to the original spelling of his surname: Whyte. He took his birth certificate from Jamaica and his US social security to the state’s Vital Records Bureau as proof.  

His passport, bank account, credit cards and other documents were changed but he still goes by White and signs autographs with that spelling. In a recent interview with the Toronto Sun, White explained the need to change his name. 

“My surname was W-H-Y-T-E. When my family came to the United States, some how it came out W-H-I-T-E on our papers. My kids were pushing for me to change to our original name. My kids, everyone now spells their name Whyte, except for my brothers and sisters.” 

With his wife Colleen, Devon has three kids in Thaddeus (who attended Morehouse University), Anaya (a high school volleyball player) and Davellyn, who plays National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women’s basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. 

Ultimately, White states he intends to be a familiar face on these shores to engage in his new passion: making kids excel on the baseball diamond. 

“I’m definitely coming back, it’s just great. I’m really impressed. In spite of not being able to (consistently) play other countries at a high competitive level, the kids have progressed rapidly. What I see is pretty impressive.”