Before he was a Major Leaguer, Whitefield was an Aussie softball star

TOKYO -- Everyone knew Angels outfielder Aaron Whitefield could play pretty much anything he wanted to. Born to a gifted athletic family, Whitefield's legs made him a star running track. He played rugby, touch football and -- the sport where he made his impact on the national team -- softball.

It took until he was 18 years old when a Reds coach suggested he give baseball a try, that the speedy Whitefield made the switch.

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"He’s really unusual, because he has the instincts of an advanced player already,” then-Twins vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff said when Minnesota first signed in Whitefield 2016. "The next year or two will be fun to watch. You don’t have many guys in your organization [about] who you can say, ‘He’s a five-tool player,’ but this guy might be.”

Later that year, Whitefield won the Australian Baseball League's Rookie of the Year Award. The next season, he won the ABL MVP Award. He won it again in 2019-20, and the next season he made his Major League debut with the Twins in 2020. While most players spend a lifetime in the sport, Whitefield had only been playing it for five years.

"It’s been kind of crazy," Whitefield said. "For me, I feel like I’m still learning a lot of the game, as well as trying to perform at a high level."

The Aussie outfielder has four Minor League seasons with 30-plus stolen bases and came one shy of the landmark last season. Still waiting for his first Major League hit after playing three games with the Twins in 2020 and five games with the Angels in '22, the outfielder never thought he had a shot a baseball career when he was younger.

While he's on the Australian national team for baseball now, that wasn't his national team debut: A track star with hopes of the Olympics in his youth, Whitefield was actually a national team softball player, first appearing for the country at the WBSC U-19 Men’s Softball World Cup 2012 in Parana, Argentina, where he earned a bronze medal.

“It’s always a pleasure when you represent your country, and softball was my first taste of it," Whitefield said at the time. "I was proud to represent my country, such an honor."

The talent runs in the family. His father, John Whitefield, came to the United States to play softball.

"He was still playing A-grade [division one state league softball] when I was growing up," Aaron said. "We got to play together on a softball team together in about 2015 or ‘14. That was really fun for me."

His mother, Nikkie Molander represented the national team in softball until she had Aaron and his sister, Tamieka two years later.

"She still plays for a summer softball league back in Brisbane," Whitefield said. "Our success is her reward, I feel like."

Tamieka has recently become a starter on the Australian national team and she has her sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. There's a chance that the brother and sister could both represent their country at the tournament.

"She puts in her hard work and it’s showing on her side of the game now," Whitefield said. "She’s hitting really well, she can run and field. I’m excited to watch her. I think she’s got qualifiers halfway through this year, so I’ll keep up with her there. And then even our little brother, he’s coming through now which is exciting."

Though Australia lost on Sunday night against Japan, the country won its first two games in the World Baseball Classic and could reach the second round for the first time in the country's history. If they do it, Whitfield will be at the center of it all.

"We’re blessed to come from a really good -- not just softball -- but athletic family," Whitefield said. "My family's always pushed me to play sports. A lot of my success is on my family who pushed me to be the best version of myself as an athlete and everything in life."