Conversations with the Herd: Charles McAdoo

By: Brian Frank

Bisons infielder Charles McAdoo isn't the first in his extended family to play sports in the Queen City. McAdoo is related to NBA Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Braves star Bob McAdoo, who played in Buffalo from 1972 to 1976, winning the league's MVP award in 1975, Rookie of the Year in 1973, and claiming the NBA scoring title three times with the Braves.

“I believe he's a second or third cousin,” Charles McAdoo said in a recent interview with The Herd Chronicles. “I talked to my dad about it one day in '22 and he was talking about it for about 30 minutes. I couldn't pick up on all the names and all the relations, but I got out of him (that Bob McAdoo is a) second or third cousin.”

McAdoo has played third and first base this season. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Charles McAdoo was a multisport athlete growing up in Northern California. Besides the baseball diamond, McAdoo showcased his athletic prowess on the gridiron, playing football for national powerhouse De La Salle High School. The Spartans played in fourteen straight California state championship games between 2006 and 2021, and McAdoo played both offense and defense for the perennial power.

“I played receiver, a little bit of tight end, and I played defense,” he said.

De La Salle was also dominant on the baseball diamond. Chatting before the Bisons took on Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers, McAdoo recalled some of his high school baseball memories.

“It's funny you asked that — we won 29 straight games in 2019 and won our North Coast section. The one team we lost to was St. Francis, and one of the guys on Columbus (outfielder Petey Halpin) actually was on that St. Francis team that beat us.”

After high school, McAdoo attended San Jose State University, where he played three seasons.

“It was great,” he said of his time with the Spartans. “The people were awesome. I had a great time. It was the only place that recruited me and I wouldn't have gone anywhere else. It was a great experience.”

He was named first team All–Mountain West during his sophomore and junior seasons. As a sophomore, he slashed .345/.406/.629 with 12 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a 1.035 OPS in 56 games. He followed that up with a dominant junior season, slashing .325/.409/.543 with 10 home runs and a .952 OPS in 58 games.

“Going to Texas,” he named as a highlight of his time playing college baseball. The Spartans played the University of Texas and scored three runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth to defeat the Longhorns 6–4 in Austin. “That was pretty fun, winning a game at Texas.”

“And getting to a regional for the first time in 21 years,” he continued. “The last time that they had been to that point was the year I was born. The last time we were there was when I was two, which is really cool.”

Following his junior season, McAdoo was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 13th round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft.

“It was like, I got my foot in the door,” he said of the moment he learned he'd been drafted. “I was excited. I was in my apartment with my family and my roommate, who also had a chance to get drafted. It was just a great experience. A real good time.”

McAdoo has an .846 OPS in 36 games for the Bisons this season. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

He reported to Bradenton to begin his professional baseball career in Low-A, where he slashed .302/.412/.510 with five home runs and a .923 OPS in 28 games for the Marauders.

“To me, it just felt like I was playing the same game I've always been playing,” he said. “That's why I think I succeeded early on.”

In 2024, McAdoo began the season at High-A Greensboro, where he slashed .336/.415/.561 with nine home runs and a .975 OPS in 60 games before being promoted to Double-A Altoona. His stay in Central Pennsylvania lasted only 27 games when, to his surprise, he was traded to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline for major league utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

“I found out about it from my manager in Altoona, and it was just a shock,” McAdoo said of the trade. “I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to react. It was just pure shock.”

“It was a much different experience,” he said of switching teams midseason, “because I had never transferred in college or, even when I was younger, gone to another team in the middle of the year. So, it was a whole new experience for me. It was kind of crazy. It took me a while to get adjusted.”

McAdoo reported to New Hampshire, where he finished the 2024 season and spent the entire 2025 campaign. It was during that time that he shifted from playing second base to primarily playing third and first.

“I was blessed with the ability to play all positions,” he said. “I've played every position on the baseball field in my life. So, it wasn't necessarily an adjustment — it was just getting refamiliarized with that position and that side of the field.”

This is his first season in Triple-A, and he hasn't missed a beat. He’s been one of the Bisons' most consistent hitters to open the year.

“I realized that it is the same game I've played since I was a kid,” he said of his success. “I'm going to face guys that have been in the Show, or that are on their way there — that are really, really good. I've got to realize that they're going to attack me with their strengths.”

He believes fans should be excited about this year’s Bisons team.

“The Bisons are fun to watch,” he explained. “We've got the mask after the home runs. It’s electric all over the place. We've got a bunch of guys that do great things all over the field, and it's exciting to watch.”

Now 24-years-old and on the cusp of the big leagues, McAdoo is focused on playing hard, winning games — and becoming the second person with his surname to make a mark on Buffalo sports history.