Pittsburgh Pirates: Lonnie White Jr. Assigned to Florida Complex League

The Pittsburgh Pirates have started to see some of their 2021 Draft picks take the field.  Another will be in action soon.

If there was one positive thing that has come out of 2021 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it would be their Draft class.  This year’s Draft was unlike any other with bigger coverage than ever, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were in the center of that attention with the first overall pick.  However, when the Draft concluded there was plenty more for Pittsburgh Pirates fans to be excited about than just the first overall pick.

The Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Draft class has a chance to be special.  Especially because of those top four selections.  One of those selections was outfielder Lonnie White Jr.  White was considered one of the top prep outfield prospects available, but signability was a concern as he was also a highly rated wide receiver recruit for Penn State.

However, the Bucs were able to get him at pick #64 overall. At the time they had already landed catcher Henry Davis and left-handed starting pitcher Anthony Solometo. The team’s outfield prospect depth has become relatively thin.  So to be able to grab one of the top outfield prospects at #64 was really good work by the Front Office.

Being the Pittsburgh Pirates had the largest Draft Bonus Pool, signability was not expected to be much of a concern. White was relatively quiet on his end throughout the process, but it seemed that all signs pointed to him signing.  He did just that for a bonus of $1.5 million, which was about 500K over the #64 slot value.

Now White will take his first steps toward becoming a Major League Baseball player.  The Pittsburgh Pirates assigned White to the Florida Complex League.  This is the new League that Major League Baseball put into place of the former Gulf Coast League.

The Florida Complex League runs a little differently than the Gulf Coast League, but essentially this is the team’s lowest affiliate. Now, this was to be expected as White will join fellow 2021 prep draftee Bubba Chandler on the team.  This leaves just Anthony Solometo as the only prospect of the top 4 to not be assigned as of yet.