When is Tommy White eligible for the MLB Draft? What to know about when LSU star could go pro

Tommy White is wrapping up his second season of college baseball and his first at LSU after transferring from North Carolina State in 2022.

And while the clock is ticking for the 20-year-old toward a pro career, he doesn't have a choice about starting it this year.

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He is a big-time prospect after helping the Tigers reach the College World Series for the first time since 2017, where they finished runner-up. The program is seeking its seventh CWS title and first since 2009.

Here's everything you need to know about White's MLB Draft eligibility:

When will Tommy White enter the MLB Draft? 

White will be eligible to enter the MLB Draft in 2024, but that doesn't mean he'll be leaving LSU at that point. He could return to play third base for the Tigers 2025, in what would be his senior season.

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What are the MLB Draft eligibility rules? 

In order to be eligible for the MLB Draft, a player must either:

1. Be a resident of, or have attended an educational institution in, the U.S., Canada or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico. Players from other countries are not subject to the draft and can be signed to any team, unless their history adheres to the first sentence.
2. Have never signed a major OR minor league contract.

In addition:

• High school players are only eligible after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
• Players at four-year colleges are eligible after three years of enrollment, or after their 21st birthday — whichever occurs first.
• Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any given time.

White turned 20 on March 3 and is finishing his second collegiate season, both of which make him ineligible for the 2023 draft. The alarm bells are ringing for 2024, though.

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Tommy White stats, honors

With N.C. State in 2022, White was the ACC Freshman of the Year, first-team All-ACC and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy.

This year, his first with LSU, he is second in the nation with 97 RBIs heading into College World Series play. He's tied with Fairfield's Charlie Pagliarini and trails only Maryland's Nick Lorusso, who finished his season with 105 RBIs. White was named to the All-SEC first team.