A Blue Jay from the Past: Vinny Capra

Do you remember Vinny Capra?

This is “A Blue Jay from the Past”. Each week, I’ll spin every Blue Jays’ season in the Wheel of Names and pick a player who played a significant number of games for the Jays, ideally a full season. This week, the Wheel of Names landed on the 2022 season, with the player we’ll look at in today’s article being Vinny Capra.

The Toronto Blue Jays selected the utility infielder in the 20th round of the 2018 draft from the University of Richmond. He made his debut the same season, slashing .248/336/.363 with two home runs in 266 plate appearances for a 98 wRC+ between Class A Lansing and Short-season A Vancouver.

Capra spent the 2019 season in Double-A, slashing .229/.295/.309 with three home runs in 435 plate appearances for a 77 wRC+. His 2021 was much better in Double-A, as Capra slashed .327/.396/.548 with 10 home runs in 282 plate appearances for a 155 wRC+. He even earned a call-up to Triple-A that season, where he had less than ideal results.

Starting his 2022 season in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons, Capra slashed .304/.377/.478 with three home runs for a 132 wRC+. On April 29, the Blue Jays called him up to the big leagues, where he had a single in seven plate appearances. He finished his 2022 season mainly in Triple-A, slashing .283/.378/.403 with five home runs in 222 plate appearances in what was an injury-filled season.

The Jays non-tendered Capra early in the 2022-23 off-season, but he eventually re-signed. Through 17 games with the Bisons in 2023, Capra slashed .167/.357/.222 with no home runs. On April 30, 2023, the Jays traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Tyler Heineman, his second of three stints with the Jays.

Capra earned plate appearances with the Pirates that year, slashing .167/.250/.222 with no homers in 21 plate appearances. He eventually hit waivers in the 2023-24 off-season, being claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Pirates in 2024, he slashed .111/.111/.222 with no home runs in nine plate appearances.

There were signs of optimism heading into the 2025 season given his Spring Training, as Capra slashed .292/.358/.729 with six home runs in 55 plate appearances for a 168 wRC+, his home run total was tied for the most in the league.

In his first game of the season, Capra hit a home run against the New York Yankees, but it’s been downhill since then. Overall, he’s slashing .083/.132/.167 in 39 plate appearances with a 2.6 BB% and a 25.6 K% for a -0.6 fWAR.