Pittsburgh Pirates 2023 Minor League Players of the Year: Low-A Bradenton

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.