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BRAYLON BISHOP, CENTER FIELDER
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| Born: April 23, 2003 Height: 6’2″ Weight: 193 Bats: Left Throws: Left Drafted: Round 14, 403rd Overall, 2021 How Acquired: Draft High School: Arkansas HS Agent: N/A |
WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE |
| Bishop is a power/speed outfielder who should be able to stay in center. He was also a star at football and track. Bishop is a good base stealer and has an average arm. He focuses on hitting for power at the plate, which has led to contact issues against better competition, but his above-average bat speed could help him make adjustments. Baseball America ranked him 88th among draft prospects and MLB Pipeline 94th. Bishop had a commitment to Arkansas. He was expected to be tough to sign, but the Pirates managed to get a deal done even after spending a lot of above-slot money on their top picks.
2021 Bishop got into eight games in the FCL, five in center and three in left. He didn’t hit much, but the sample size was very small. 2022 Bishop had a disappointing season. He started well, with an .825 OPS in June, but he declined to .708 in July, then cratered at .450 in August. As the season went along, he increasingly struggled with a problem that’s plagued the Pirates at the major league level. He seemed too reluctant to swing and, although he walked a lot, he frequently got into unfavorable counts as well. He also took a lot of called third strikes. It’s also hard not to wonder whether he was impacted by the crowded roster in the FCL, as he never played more than 13 games in a month. The Pirates chose to field only one FCL team despite having a lot of players, which was in keeping with their professed belief that game action isn’t important for development. The results they’ve gotten so far don’t support that notion. Defensively, Bishop played all three outfield positions and showed good range. He has yet to commit an error as a pro. Bishop will be at Bradenton in 2023. The development system being put in place by the new front office has faced a lot of tests with talented but raw young players at the lower levels. So far, few of these players have taken steps forward. |
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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| 2023: Minor league salary |
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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| Signing Bonus: $268,700 MiLB Debut: 2021 MLB Debut: MiLB FA Eligible: 2027 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: 2025 Added to 40-Man: Options Remaining: 3 MLB Service Time: 0.000 |
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TRANSACTIONS
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| July 13, 2021: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 14th round, 403rd overall pick; signed on July 27. |
