Baseball Focused, Lonnie White Jr. Starting to Excel In Pirates’ System
Coming out Malvern Preparatory School, in Malvern, Pennsylvania, which is a suburb of Philadelphia, Lonnie White Jr. was a well-regarded, three-sport athlete.
Originally committing to Clemson to play baseball, White decided to commit to Penn State - where he would do both baseball and football.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected White, as a second round draft choice in 2021, the consensus was that he would be a very difficult sign due to his strong commitment, with Penn State.
Because the Pirates signed Henry Davis for $6.5 million - well under the slot of $8.4 million, they used that saved money on White. Rather than attending State College, he chose to put pen to paper by signing with Pittsburgh for $1.5 million.
White was assigned to the Pirates’ Florida Complex League club - shortly after being drafted. In 33 plate appearances, he slashed .258/.303/.516 and hit a pair of home runs.
From a developmental standpoint, 2022 was a lost season for White, as he dealt with an elbow injury, for much of the year.
The injury bug bit White again during Spring Training of this year. He sustained a thumb injury, which required surgery.
White made his season debut for the FCL Pirates on June 5th. He posted a line of .318/.434/.444 - covering 76 plate appearances.
On July 4th, White was promoted to Low A Bradenton. The power has been on full display for White since joining the Marauders, with five homers, and a slugging percentage of exactly .500. He’s also done very well creating runs, posting a 136 wRC+. The strikeouts are on the high side at 27.4%, but his walk rate is an excellent, 16.0%.
As a former wide receiver, White possess plenty of speed, and he’s using that tool on the diamond this season, with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts combined with the FCL Pirates and Bradenton.
That speed has also allowed White to cover plenty of ground in the outfield. Even at 6’3, 212, he should be able to stick, as a long-term, center fielder.
MLB Pipeline currently has White ranked as the 11th best prospect, within the Pirates’ system.
While injuries have already played a factor, in the very early stages of White’s pro career, he has loads of raw potential based on his power/speed combo, as well as his defensive abilities.
Now that White is solely focused on baseball, he certainly has a chance to become a top prospect, before he arrives to Pittsburgh, and if he can more importantly remain healthy, then there’s no telling how tremendous of an offensive performer he could become.