Lonnie White has the tools, staying on field cruical in 2024
The outielder showed flashes in 2023 after finally being able to stay on the field, and that could only be a glimpse at what he can do.
One of several prep players they were able to sign to over-slot deals back in the 2021 draft, Lonnie White Jr. was the lone hitter of the group.
Injuries derailed the early part of his career, even getting a late start to the 2023 season after another stint on the injured list.
He’s by no means a finished product, but once he got on the field, he immediately showed the tools that made him such a hyped-up prospect during the draft.
After a quick stint in the Florida Complex League, White moved up to Bradenton in July, and the outfielder got to play 44 games at the Single-A level to close out the season.
In those games, he hit .259/.395/.488 with eight home runs, 30 RBI, and 12 stolen bases across 200 plate appearances. Strikeouts were a bit of a concern, but he did improve as the season wore on, including a 23% rate in August/September after a 33.3% mark in July.
Just look at White, and see just how physically gifted he is. The tools are there, and he is built like someone who could have played DI football at a skilled position (Penn State committed to play WR).
In just 61 games overall, he stole 18 bases on 21 attempts and put up some of the best exit velocity metrics in the system while with Bradenton.
While he didn’t chase out of the zone (20.1% chase rate), he did struggle with making contact in the zone (75.3% in zone contact rate), which an extreme struggle against off-speed pitches (22.2%) was a big cause.
The numbers when he did make contact were explosive, however, with a 106.1 95th percentile exit velocity reading, along with a barrel rate of 15.7%, which would have been among the best in the majors last season.
The physical traits are there for White to a dominant player in this game, he has plus speed and raw power, and has a strong arm in the outfield where he plays a really good center field.
The strikeouts are a concern, especially considering it was in Single-A, but there is some hope he can clean that up since he doesn’t really go out of the zone often.
Outside of Termarr Johnson the Pirates don’t have many hitting prospects getting recognition around the national media outlet circuit. White has the tools to force his way into the conversation, and while injuries slowed him down, he started showing flashes down the stretch.
If there is one player in the system that has the tools to challenge Termarr as the best hitting prospect in the system, it’s White, and both could start the season in Greensboro come 2024.
The history of success in teaching football players to hit is effectively zero.
I bristle a bit at the new era of scouting that overlooks the most important tool a kid can have, the ability to actually hit the ball.
Here's to hoping Lonnie breaks the cycle. Kid's a f'n HOSS.
I hope they start Lonnie in Greensboro and that he's batting second in the order with Jebb leading off and Termarr 3rd with Forrester cleanup.