Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects 2023 Recap: Charles McAdoo Bursts Onto the Scene

After being drafted in July, Charles McAdoo would join the Bradenton Marauders and quickly become an intriguing player to watch in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system

The prized jewel of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2023 draft class was, of course, no. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes. Touted as the best pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, Skenes is viewed as a pitcher who can climb through the farm system quickly on his way to becoming an ace in the majors.

Skenes, however, was not the only college player the Pirates drafted who could quickly rise through the farm system. In the 13th round, they selected infielder/outfielder Charles McAdoo from San Jose State University.

McAdoo would very quickly make an impact as am member of the Pirate farm system. The right-handed hitter had a base hit, drew three walks, and drove in a pair of runs in his first professional game. Just like that, his professional career was off and running.

In 28 games played for the Low-A Bradenton Marauders, McAdoo accumulated 114 plate appearances. McAdoo hit for a .302/.412/.510 slash line with a 151 wRC+, 14.9% walk rate, and a 19.3% strikeout rate in his 114 PAs.

McAdoo hit 5 home runs with the Marauders, collecting a total of 9 extra base hits. This resulted in a healthy 31.3% of McAdoo's hits going for extra bases on his way to posting an isolated slugging (ISO) of .208.

Offensvie numbers like this from any prospect will turn an eye and get attention from people. A prospect doing it in their first taste of professional action just adds to the imrpessiveness of the feat. It has most certainly made McAdoo a prospect to watch moving forward.

It will be interesting to see how the Pirates handle McAdoo in 2024. He could start the season back at the Low-A level. However, Ben Cherington has been aggressive with promoting and placing prospects in the past. Due to this, it is not out of the realm of possiblity that McAdoo begins teh season with High-A Greensboro.

Regardless of where his season begins, McAdoo will be an intriguing prospect to watch.