The impression of Lonnie White Jr., once he is selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the bonus round on June 12, the pressure will disappear, and in the 2021 Major League Baseball first-year player draft Ranked 64th.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound outstanding Malvern reserve fielder and wide receiver found that the tension had just begun. White is a football player from Pennsylvania State University. In his senior year, he hit 0.395 with 11 doubles, 5 home runs and 25 RBIs, which was less than the Buccaneers’ $1.05 million draft value.

Playing football at Penn State University or starting a journey as a major league baseball player? For an 18-year-old young man, this is a daunting choice.

On Sunday, White made a major decision. He chose to sign with the Pirates and bypass his scholarship to enter Pennsylvania State University. White will sign an agreement with the organization in Pittsburgh to grant bonuses higher than the time set by the university.

Before going public, White made sure to notify Penn State University football coach James Franklin of his decision.

“I am very happy. This decision has nothing to do with any type of money. It is more about the joy of doing what I like to do, even though I still love football,” White said. “Baseball has always been in my mind. The contract exceeds the value of the slot, and it also involves my future education.”

After drafting, the simple part should be what to do next. It turns out that this is not easy, especially for White.

“The past week has been very stressful for me,” White said. “I have to follow my heart. I played baseball when I was a kid and I have always liked this sport. I will sign (Monday) to join the Pirates. Without the support of my family, especially my parents, I would not be where I am today. If it weren’t for my parents, there would be no where I am today. They pushed me and pushed me, but it was also my family in Malvern.

“I am fortunate to have the people I have in my life.”

Franklin told White that if baseball doesn’t work for him in three years, and if he wants to pursue football, Franklin should be the first to call him.

After being selected by the pirates, White received Congratulation message From Franklin.

“For a while, he tended to play football,” Franklin said. “What happened was that he went to play baseball and he was successful in baseball. I said,’Listen, I will support you to do whatever you want, but we will discuss this.’ It’s difficult to do . I want to make sure that everyone understands what we are going to accomplish and how we will accomplish it together.”

Philly TV analyst and 1995 Malvern graduate Ben Davis called White “High School Dave Winfield”. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and was selected by Major League Baseball, NFL and NBA teams. middle.

In the area code game last year, White hit a 421-foot home run and hit the Indiana team’s Luke Hay in midfield. Many experts call White one of the most physically gifted athletes in the draft.

White has been compared to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Justin Upton and the San Diego Padres’ Tommy Fan.

Last week, Anthony Solometo, the 6-foot-5 and 220-pound left-handed pitcher of the Eustace Bishop, was selected by the Buccaneers with the first overall pick in the second round and was selected by the Pirates with 280 Ten thousand dollars signed a contract with a university with bonus provisions.

“This is what I want to do, this is where I want to go,” said Solometo, who was 5-0 last season. He completed 64 strikeouts in just 5 walks in 32?, and Released a staggering 0.21 ERA and belongs to the Pirates’ prize money worth 2 million US dollars. “This is a very cool experience.”

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Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sports writer in the Philadelphia area. He has been writing for PhillyVoice since its establishment in 2015 and is the president of the American Boxing Writers Association.He can be Follow here on Twitter.