Pittsburgh Pirates 2023 minor league hitter of the year: Jack Brannigan

Finished one home run shy of a 20/20 season

Photo Credit: WTM

Originally drafted as a two-way player out of Notre Dame, Jack Brannigan has quickly established him as not only one of the better defensive infielders in the minors, but also a threat as an offensive player.

For his effort this season, Brannigan is the Bucs on Deck Pirates minor league hitter of the year for the 2023 season.

In just 87 games played, he finished with 19 home runs and 24 stolen bases, and it’s a wonder if he hadn’t missed time with an injury, he could have pushed 20/30 with the success he had.

Combined over his time in Bradenton and Greensboro, Brannigan slugged .524, posted a 14.2 BB% and drove in 54 runs.

This was decided by a voting process made by the writers here on Bucs on Deck. Everyone sent in their top three choices for this award, as well as a small writeup on their winner.

WTM - Brannigan

Thanks to the fact that he was almost always on the same team as Termarr Johnson, Brannigan mostly flew under the radar, but he had a terrific season.  Coming out of Notre Dame, most teams preferred him as a pitcher.  The Pirates saw him more as a third baseman.  (They said after the draft that they’d develop him as a two-way player, but there’s been no sign of him pitching.) 

He came with the rep of having power potential that he hadn’t consistently tapped into.  He missed over a month early with an injury, but soon after he returned started to find the power with Bradenton.  He put up good numbers there, 253/398/451, then really took off after a promotion to Greensboro, batting 299/382/605. 

He had 19 home runs in just 87 games overall.  And, no, it wasn’t the ballpark, as he hit much better on the road.  Brannigan even stole 24 bases in 27 tries, and he’s a plus defender at third and appears able to handle the other infield positions.  It was an outstanding season that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

NolaJeffy - Brannigan

I went with Jack Brannigan, who had the highest wRC+ among Pirates hitters — not named Henry Davis — who had at least 250 PAs The K% is something to watch moving forward, but I don’t think it was enough to discount the great year the toolsy infielder had.

He fell one home run shy of a 20/20 season across two levels, while seeing time at second base, shortstop, and third base. What makes this decision tough is the fact Termarr Johnson had an equally impressive overall season with a much lower K-rate, while three years younger than Brannigan.

That being said, when comparing their statistics of time spent in Greensboro – 173 plate appearances for Brannigan and 132 for Johnson – Brannigan had seven more home runs, 22 more RBI, and four more stolen bases. Brannigan’s ISO (.306) was nearly double of Johnson’s (.172). Plus, Johnson very well may take home the honor next season, so let’s take a moment to appreciate the season Brannigan put up.

Ryan Palencer - Miguel Andujar

I know, Andujar is far from a prospect. Though in a year of mixed offensive results in the system, his numbers are impossible to ignore.

Playing in less than 70 percent of Indianapolis’ games, due to multiple stints in Pittsburgh, Andujar still had 30 doubles, 16 home runs, and 86 RBI. Overall, Andujar had an extra base hit every 9.5 Triple-A at bats. Even his outs were struck well.

Additionally, Andujar was a leader in Indianapolis for several young hitters and strongly led by example. Even in his worst month in 2023, Andujar still slashed .273/.298/.455. The only reason the month was that poor was because he went 1-for-23 with the Pirates.

My picks

1. Jase Bowen

2. Termarr Johnson

3. Jack Brannigan