He was selected by Toronto in the 1986 amateur draft and made his major league debut in the 1990 season. Whiten was an up-and-down player. He had one of the best outfield arms in the 1990s. He hit for power too, but his mental lapses hurt him in the field and at the plate. The Blue Jays had little patience with his development and sent him to Cleveland. After two seasons with the Indians he was sent to the Cardinals.
St. Louis Cardinals
In his first season with St. Louis, Whiten recorded nine outfield assists, fifth-best in the National League. On September 7, 1993, he gained notability with his performance against the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a doubleheader. Whiten hit four home runs and drove in 12 runs,[2] tying the all-time single-game records in both categories in the process. He also tied the major league mark for runs batted in in a doubleheader (13), set by Nate Colbert in 1972.[3] Whiten became the 12th player in major league history to hit four home runs in one game; he and Jim Bottomley are the only two players with 12 RBI in one game.
During the same season, he belted a 464-foot homer into the upper deck at Three Rivers Stadium, becoming the first visiting player to reach the right-field overhang. He finished that year with a .253 batting average, to go along with 25 home runs and 99 RBI.[4]
Later career
Whiten suffered through pulled rib cage muscles early at the 1994 season that limited him to play in 92 games. Injuries would limit him to no more than 136 games a season. Over the following six seasons, he played for six teams, including a second stint with Cleveland.[4] In 1997, Whiten faced sexual assault charges while playing with the New York Yankees.[5] On July 31, 1998, Whiten pitched his only inning of professional ball, for Cleveland against the Oakland Athletics. He walked two and gave up a hit and an earned run, but also struck out the side (which included future AL MVP Miguel Tejada). He thus has a perfect career K/9 ratio of 27.
