When the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Lonnie White Jr. with their second-round competitive balance pick in 2021, they were likely hoping the high school outfielder could blossom into a future cog on their roster. It has taken a little longer than expected, but White Jr. is finally breaking out, and doing so at Altoona as well. However, his breakthrough this year could make the Pirates’ outfield depth chart interesting in 2027.
White Jr. has batted .289/.407/.527 with a .427 wOBA, and 148 wRC+ over his first 194 plate appearances of 2026 between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. He has shown both his powerful upside and baserunning abilities, with a .283 isolated slugging percentage, a dozen home runs, and 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. He is currently just one of six players with at least a dozen home runs and steals. Of those six, only four have an OPS over .900, including White Jr.
The young outfielder has improved the biggest part of his game, and that is making contact and limiting K’s. He struck out over a third of the time with a contact rate below 65% in both 2024 and 2025. This year, White Jr. has struck out just 23.7% of the time, with a contact rate of 71.2%. He has also taken the step up from Greensboro to Altoona in stride, and then some.
It has only been 90 trips to the plate, but White Jr. has a .947 OPS, .416 wOBA, and 146 wRC+. He is making more contact at Altoona (72%) than he did at Greensboro (70.4%). White Jr. has continued to walk at a high rate. His BB% at Greensboro was 16.3%, and now comes in at 15.6% at Altoona.
One thing is nearly certain, and that is White Jr. is more than likely going to find his way onto the Pirates’ 40-man roster. He was Rule 5 draft eligible last offseason. Unless something completely unforeseen happens to White Jr. between now and the end of the year, the Pirates will protect him from this year’s Rule 5 draft.
That is going to make the Pirates’ outfield depth chart look strong. As of right now, Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, and Ryan O’Hearn are all set on returning next year. Jake Mangum won’t hit arbitration until after the 2027 season. Rookies Esmerlyn Valdez and Jhostynxon Garcia have both gotten their first look in MLB. They’ll definitely factor into next year’s roster. Tyler Callihan and Nick Yorke are both utility men who are capable of playing the outfield when needed. That's all, and the fact that Edward Florentino could have a meteoric rise over the next year.
White Jr.’s floor is that of an athletic fourth outfielder. He’ll become arguably the Pirates’ best defensive outfielder once he is added to the 40-man roster. There’s no question he has the speed to play in center field, and his arm is strong enough to play the corners. Although White Jr. has always shown solid raw pop, it has always been a question whether he can make enough contact to make it count. So far this year, he’s done just that.
His offensive outbreak this year is a promising sign of things to come. His ceiling has always been extremely high, and showing this much with the bat, especially now at Double-A, which is one of, if not the biggest, tests for minor league players, will earn him a 40-man roster spot. The Pirates’ outfield mix may look crowded with White Jr. on the roster, but he has done nothing but earn the spot.
