Blue Jays prospect Charles McAdoo’s loud bat begging for a call up
Blue Jays prospect Charles McAdoo’s loud bat begging for a call up originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Charles McAdoo was given one final at bat in the first game of Friday's doubleheader due to an intentional walk in front of him.
A mistake, one that McAdoo quickly proved.
The Toronto Blue Jays ' promising prospect crushed a home run into the left field bullpen for the Triple-A Buffalo Bison. And then in his first at bat of the second game, McAdoo hit one even further to left, out onto the street outside the park.
Yeah, the kid can play.
McAdoo, related in a cousin portion of the family tree to basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, is a powerful, speedy corner infielder.
He hasn't ranked in the top-100 of any prospect lists, but when you watch him play, he pretty much immediately flashes his talent.
His first at bat Friday featured just a chopper up the middle. But despite being one of the biggest players on the field, McAdoo is surprisingly quick, and he beat it out.
Then he stole second base for good measure.
Around the homers, McAdoo had a few other instances of very loud contact. He's hitting over .300, slugging over .500 and showing that at least right now, he's locked in.
It may not mean much to the Blue Jays for a while. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, Kazuma Okamoto at third and George Springer at DH (when healthy), there isn't really a spot for McAdoo.
But this is a guy you watch just for a few moments and realize has immense potential. Maybe the prospect ranks are wrong, or maybe he's a late bloomer, or maybe he's playing way over his head.
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One night is just one night, but McAdoo stands out.
He's got athletic genes in his family, to be sure. He's got clear baseball ability, too.
Maybe his call won't be coming yet, and he'll have to display that always tricky virtue of patience.
But if McAdoo can bide his time, he might just outperform expectations. When he's at his best -- like he was Friday night in Rochester -- he looks like he can be a big league ballplayer for sure.
