Whether it was sending Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to the Diamondbacks for Daulton Varsho or sending cash to the Cubs for Brendon Little, the Blue Jays have several trade trees still active in their organization. One particular active tree is flying under the radar, and the Blue Jays are hoping it pays dividends within the next few years.
That would be about current Blue Jays prospect Adrian Pinto, who was acquired alongside Raimel Tapia from the Colorado Rockies in the Randal Grichuk trade that took place about a week after the start of spring training in 2022. In the short term, the Blue Jays acquired a left-handed outfield bat in Tapia to balance a mainly right-handed lineup, and they also cleared a multi-year contract off the books despite also sending cash to Colorado in the deal.
Since Toronto was set to be a favourite in the American League pennant race, a lot of attention was directed at how much Tapia would help the big league club. But now that the Tapia days have come and gone, Pinto has given the organization a solid glimpse at how productive he can be.
The 22-year-old native of Caucagua, Venezuela, has played in 19 games with high-A Vancouver this season, slashing .284/.376/.608 with a .984 OPS, seven homers, nine RBIs, three doubles, and three stolen bases. He’s currently in the best stretch of his season as he’s coming off a 7-for-15 effort in a series against the Spokane Indians with three homers, five RBIs, a double, and a walk. Those numbers earned him Northwest League Player of the Week, the first time he has won the award, and his seven round-trippers have him sitting tied with Arjun Nimmala for the most in the Jays’ minor league system and tied for first in the Northwest League with Nimmala and Lazaro Montes of the Everett AquaSox.
Standing 5-foot-6, his power profile is impressive, and it couples nicely with his speed on the base paths. Furthermore, he possesses positional flexibility by seeing time at second base and centre field this season, recording just two errors to this point between both positions.
Last week’s accolades aren’t the only high points of Pinto’s minor league career. Between rookie ball, single-A, and high-A last year, he slashed .330/.378/.573 over 26 games with four homers and 11 doubles. He was also the Dominican Summer League’s Most Valuable Player and was named a MiLB All-Star in 2021 while he was still with Colorado’s organization. That season, he hit .360 with a 1.029 OPS, three homers, 27 RBIs, 15 doubles, four triples, and 41 stolen bases through 54 games. Not only was he just 18 years of age at the time, but it was also his first season in professional baseball.
Pinto’s minor league numbers have made him worthy of the 21st rank that he currently possesses in Toronto’s farm system via MLB Pipeline. However, the biggest ability for him has been his availability. A quick scan over his transaction log displays his five stints on the injured list since joining Toronto’s organization, including a rib injury holding him to only 26 total games last year.
Using the phrase “keep your eye on *insert prospect name*” is almost overused nowadays, but it’s something you can say about Pinto as he progresses through the minor leagues. Hopefully, the Blue Jays will be able to get an extended look at him this season.
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