Braves lose Sean White in the Rule V Draft

The Pirates have selected Sean White in the Rule V draft. The Braves Show's Bill Shanks has more from the Winter Meetings.

With the fourth pick in this morning's Rule V draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Braves' right-handed pitching prospect Sean White.

The Pirates will now give White a chance to make the pitching staff next spring. He must be kept on the 40-man roster or offered back to the Braves for $25,000.

White was drafted by the Braves in the 8th round of the 2003 draft out of the University of Washington. His best season was in 2005, when he was 11-8 in 26 starts between Myrtle Beach and Mississippi.

The Braves invited White to big league camp last spring as a non-roster player and he made a huge impression on Manager Bobby Cox. For a few weeks, Cox considered White a candidate as a long reliever in the Atlanta bullpen.

But he was sent back to AA Mississippi where he went 5-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 21 games (16 starts). He allowed 124 hits in 102.1 innings pitched, 50 earned runs, 43 walks, and 73 strikeouts. He battled a nagging shoulder injury for most of the season.

The Pirates traded White to the Seattle Mariners after the Rule V draft for cash considerations. White is from Washington state and attended the University of Washington.


Bill Shanks is the author of Scout's Honor: The Bravest Way To Build A Winning Team, a look inside the Braves‘ traditional scouting and player development philosophies. He can also be heard on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network. Email Bill at .