Pirates Prospect Finally Breaking Out in 2026
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates farm system is full of young talents looking to prove the belong at the highest level of baseball, but one prospect is having the best year as a professional in 2026.
Outfielder prospect Lonnie White Jr. has put on a great showing at the plate for High-A Greensboro, showing great improvements from his previous seasons in the minor leagues.
He's slashing .324/.422/.691 for an OPS of 1.113 over 18 games, with 22 hits in 68 at-bats, 21 runs scored, two doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 18 RBI, 12 walks to 17 strikeouts and seven stolen bases on nine attempts.
White is one of the best hitters in the South Atlantic League and the Pirates will want to see him continue these types of performances moving forward.
Stat | Ranking |
|---|---|
Runs | First |
Home Runs | Tied-First |
RBI | Second |
Hits | Fourth |
Slugging %/OPS | Fifth |
Batting Average | Ninth |
Stolen Bases | Tied-10th |
Walks | Tied-11th |
On-Base % | 16th |
What's Held Lonnie White Back
The Pirates had high hopes for White when they took him 64th overall in Competitive Balance Round B in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Pittsburgh even signed him for $1.5 million, an overslot of almost 50% from the pick's value of $1.05 million, convincing him to forgo his commitment to Penn State football and become a professional baseball player.
This was much like the strategy the Pirates had with their third round pick in right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler, who they signed for $3 million for the 72nd overall pick, a slot value of $870,700, convincing him to forgo his commitment to Clemson.
There was much to like from White, a speedy baserunner that came from his time as a wide receiver at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pa., which would also help him in the outfield and give him great range.
White would mostly need to focus on his development at the plate and scouts projected solid power for him as well moving forward.
The biggest issue for White is that he's hardly played since the Pirates drafted him, with just 243 games played in his first five seasons with the franchise.
White only played in 11 games over his first two seasons in 2021 and 2022 due to elbow and hamstring injuries and wouldn't even make his 2023 season debut until June after he had surgery on his thumb.
He ended up hitting well in 2023, slashing .276/.406/.476 for an OPS of .882 in 61 games between the Florida Complex League (FCL) Pirates at Rookie-Level ball and Single-A Bradenton, but his following two seasons at Greensboro have been disappointing.
White slashed .167/.275/.340 for an OPS of .615 over 89 games in 2024 and then slashed .220/.329/.394 for an OPS of .723 over 84 games in 2025.
What Pirates Need from White Moving Forward
This season is a massive improvement in almost every stat from White this season, which is encouraging from the 23-year old that he's finally figuring it out as a professional.
His power output has been fantastic so far and he hit two home runs in the 13-6 win for Greensboro over Rome on April 23, his first multi-home run game of his professional career.
White is also someone that can play all three outfield spots, starting seven games each in center field and right field, with three starts in left field, giving himself a chance to fit in any outfield.
The most important thing from White is that he must stay healthy at this point and stay on the field in 2026, which with the way he's hitting, will earn him promotion to Double-A Altoona in the near future.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.