Braylon Bishop showing power in the lead-off spot for the Marauders
Braylon Bishop showing power in the lead-off spot for the Marauders
Former 14th-round pick hit another home run in lead-off spot for Bradenton
The 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates draft class will long be remembered for the several prep players they signed to over-slot deals to get them to forgo their college commitments.
One of the lesser remembered among that group was Braylon Bishop, who was drafted in the 14th round but received an over-slot deal to skip going to school at Arkansas and turn pro instead.
Some draft outlets rated Bishop relatively high, but a firm commitment appeared to force him to drop.
Injuries have plagued him most of his pro career—even early this year—limiting him to just 83 games played heading into the 2024 season.
Finally getting consistent playing time with Bradenton, Bishop has started to flash some of the promise that made the Pirates pursue him so hard.
He’s flashed some solid power, with a .523% slugging in 21 games this year. He’s totaled eight extra-base ( 4 HR, 3 2B, 3B) hits in 76 plate appearances while converting four of five stolen base attempts.
Bishop has also settled in well as the team’s lead-off hitter, batting .297/.333/.622 out of that spot, with three of his four home runs. He led off the bottom of the first inning on Saturday by going deep, netting one of the two runs for the Marauders on the day.
There’s also been some very noticeable swing-and-miss (32.8 K%) that has also overshadowed a good walk rate (11.8 BB%), which kind of plays into a concern about him during the draft about his swing.
So, while there have been some bad mixed in with the good, the most important number for Bishop continues to climb—games played (and, in turn, plate appearances).
Due to injuries, Bishop has never totaled more than 146 plate appearances in a season, and he’s halfway there with more than half of the season still to go.
It’s also worth mentioning that this year would be his draft year had he gone to college. So, while he’s fallen behind some of the other prep players in the class (Bubba Chandler, Anthony Solometo), he’s far from that regarding the bigger picture.
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