Charles McAdoo
One of the Pirates’ mid-round picks, Charles McAdoo, is coming off an outstanding college career. The utility man attended San Jose State University for three years. The Bucs took him with their 13th-round pick in hopes that he could become a solid future infield/outfield utility man.
McAdoo batted .325/.409/.543 through 269 plate appearances. He hit for a good amount of pop, blasting off ten times while running out 19 doubles. His isolated slugging percentage was over .200 at .218. Plus, McAdoo showed off some quality plate discipline. McAdoo walked in 11.9% of his plate appearances while having an outstanding 15.2% strikeout rate.
One of the more impressive numbers, and one of the likely reasons the Pirates were interested in McAdoo, was his performance in the Northwoods League last season. This is a collegiate wood bat summer league, and the change from an aluminum to a wood stick didn’t affect McAdoo all that much. He hit .305/.363/.575 through 190 plate appearances. McAdoo was much more aggressive at the plate, as he struck out 21.1% of the time, but he still managed a respectable 9% walk rate. However, the most impressive number that sticks out is his ten home runs and .267 ISO.
McAdoo has displayed good bat speed and raw strength, though his motions in the box have some stiffness. It probably wouldn’t hurt if he loosened up in the box a little. As a defender, McAdoo is primarily a second baseman. However, he can also play first base and corner outfield. He has a solid arm but lacks the elite athleticism to play on the left side of second base. But he has the potential to be a solid 2B/1B/OF option.
McAdoo’s numbers, especially his power numbers, out of a wooden bat league is promising for a 13th-round pick. We’ll see how McAdoo does against professional opponents. However, as of right now, he’s one of my favorite picks the Pirates made this year. He didn’t strike out much in college and walked at a good rate. He also hit for good power at every level and has consistently hit over .300.