Pittsburgh Pirates 2023 Minor League Players of the Year: Low-A Bradenton
Who were the best pitcher and hitter for Low-A Bradenton this season?
![Tampa Tarpons won 4-1 over the Bradenton Marauders at Bradenton's LECOM Park Wednesday evening June,](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4589,h_2581,x_715,y_0/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/4/01hcbfe297sx8xqpvxv0.jpg)
Who was the best pitcher and hitter for the Low-A Bradenton Marauders during the 2023 season?
As we continue to take a look back at and recap the 2023 season, next up for recapping Pittsburgh Pirates minor league seasons are the Low-A Bradenton Marauders. The 2023 season was a strong one for the Marauders who finished 2nd in the Florida State League West Division with a 76-54 record.
Today, we will take a look at the best pitcher and the best hitter for the Marauders this past season. Due to players moving up to Greensboro throughout the season, this was a bit of a challenging thing to pinpoint. However, the players who have been selected finished the season with Bradenton.
Previous minor league team best pitcher/hitter articles:
- Triple-A Indianapolis
- Double-A Altoona
- High-A Greensboro
Pitcher - Owen Kellington
This was a tough decision between Owen Kellington and Derek Diamond, but we'll give the slight edge to Kellington. The 20-year-old Kellington's 18 starts led the team, his 23 appearances were the most for any pitcher that was not a full-time reliever, and he was second on the club in innings pitched with 80.
Kellington posted a 3.94 ERA and a 4.77 FIP in his 80 innings pitched. While his 14.5% walk rate was higher than you want to see, and his biggest issue for the season, he had a strong 26.2% strikeout rate. He allowed 8 home runs (0.90 HR/9) while limiting opposing batters to just a .212 batting average.
Looking ahead to 2024, the Pirates may face a decision on where they want to start Kellington. He's only pitched 90 professional innings to this point so having him start the season back in Bradenton could make sense. At the same time, there's an argument for being aggressive and having him start with Greensboro. Either way, Kellington will be an intriguing arm to watch throughout the 2024 season.
Best hitter(s) - Charles McAdoo, Lonnie White Jr.
For the best hitter, we're going to give the nod to two hitters. Those two hitters are Charles McAdoo and Lonnie White Jr. McAdoo was a member of the 2023 draft class, so he did not spend much time in Bradenton but hit the ball too well to not be recognized. As for White Jr., in need of a big bounce back season after injury issues in 2022 he accomplished just that.
McAdoo had 114 plate appearances in 28 games with the Marauders after being drafted. Playing both the infield and the outfield, McAdoo hit for a .302/.412/.510 slash line with a 14.9% walk rate, 19.3% strikeout rate, .208 isolated slugging (ISO), and 9 extra base hits.
Despite McAdoo's phenomenal results with the Marauders, he will likely begin the 2024 season back in Bradenton since he only had 28 professional games under his belt. However, if he hits anywhere near as well as he did this season he won't be at Low-A long.
As for White Jr., he started the season in the Florida Complex League. This came after he had just 7 PAs in 2022 in an injury wrecked season. White Jr., the 64th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, had a strong showing in the FCL leading to him earning a promotion to Low-A Bradenton.
With the Marauders, White Jr. hit for a .259/.395/.488 slash line with a 140 wRC+. While his 28% strikeout rate was a bit high, he countered that with a strong 16% walk rate. He stole 12 bases, posted a strong .228 ISO, and collected 20 extra base hits.
White Jr. is still just 20-years-old and will likely begin the 2024 season back in Bradenton. If all goes according to plan it should not take him long to get to High-A Greensboro, and he could establish himself as one of the top position player prospects in the Pirate farm system.
Next. Pitchers strong Septmeber. 3 Pirate Pitchers Who Had a Strong September. dark