Pirates may finally have to reward their forgotten top draft pick

Even if the Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system has taken a tumble in the rankings since the graduations of Konnor Griffin, Bubba Chandler, and Esmerlyn Valdez, there are still plenty of exciting up-and-coming young talents in the pipeline. Guys like Seth Hernandez and Edward Florentino will get top billing, while Murf Gray is enjoying a breakout that has put him on a lot of radars.

However, beyond that top layer, a once-promising former top prospect is finally enjoying a breakout of his own after being long forgotten. We're talking about Lonnie White Jr., who is raising a lot of eyebrows down in Altoona.

White Jr. was once considered the No. 32 ranked prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft according to Baseball America, after playing both baseball and football at Penn State, as well as playing basketball in high school.

With a 6-foot-2, 212-pound frame and that sort of explosive athleticism, it's easy to see why he was someone you could dream on. However, his career stalled out once he hit Hi-A in 2024, when he slashed .167/.275/.340. 2025 was marginally better, but still a struggle as he posted a .220/.329/.394 line.

Following the 2025 season, White Jr. was Rule 5 Draft eligible for the first time. Unsurprisingly, the Pirates left him unprotected, and predictably, he was not selected. Things might be different this go-around.

The Pirates would be wise to add Lonnie White Jr. to the 40-man roster and protect him in the Rule 5 Draft

This year, White Jr. began his season in Hi-A yet again, but after hitting .298/.413/.595 across 23 games at Greensboro, he was promoted to Altoona, where he continued laying waste to the competition.

At Double-A, he has hit .273/.374/.519 with 18 homers and 11 steals over 82 games. His combined line on the season between the two levels is .278/.383/.535 with 25 dingers and 20 stolen bases over a total of 105 games.

It's been a massive jump for the 23-year-old, and one that reminds folks of why Pittsburgh drafted him No. 64 overall with a comp pick. The young outfielder has speed and power, and finally, it seems as if he's putting it all together.

That doesn't mean that the Pirates should make him a September call-up just yet. The jump from Double-A to the majors is a massive one, and it would be unwise to put him in a situation where his budding confidence could be shattered.

Instead, the move to make is to add him to the 40-man roster before the deadline, which typically comes in November, to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. This time around, he might not go unclaimed if left out in the open.

We'll need to see a repeat performance next year for White Jr. to prove that he is for real. If that happens, we could see him in the majors at some point in 2027, a thought that was unthinkable this time last year. We could also eventually see him surge back up the prospect rankings.

It's clear that the talent has always been there, but sometimes things just click a little slower for these multi-sport athletes. For much of their lives, their attention is divided between the different demands of each game. Now that White Jr. has had some time to focus solely on baseball, it seems that he's blossoming, and the Pirates are set to reap the reward. To do that, they must protect him first.

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