Surprise Contributor Earning Playing Time for the Toronto Blue Jays
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He turned 24 yesterday. He has bad intentions at the plate. His last name sounds like a Caribbean island.
And any team in baseball could have selected Yohendrick Piñango (pronounced "pin-YAH-go" ) in December's Rule 5 Draft, but the Blue Jays sure are glad nobody did.
It is no secret that the Blue Jays have gotten decimated by injuries. They have been hit especially hard in the outfield. But injuries create windows of opportunity, and Piñango has smashed his window into smithereens.
Piñango's success is not entirely surprising to prospect watchers. MLB Pipeline ranked him the No. 7 Blue Jays prospect ahead of the Rule 5 Draft (he currently ranks 10th) and listed him first among the players generating buzz ahead of the draft in its Rule 5 Draft Preview.
He was not selected and returned to Toronto on a Minor League Deal.
Nobody expected him to be called up in April and batting .400 after 25 at-bats.
He will, of course, not hit .400. With the caveat that 26 plate appearances is a very small sample size, his .325 expected batting average, 11.5% K rate, and 14% whiff rate are exceptional and put him above the 90th percentile in all three. The MLB averages for K% and Whiff % are 22% and 25%, respectively, meaning Piñango is striking out and swinging and missing at about half the rate of the average batter.
His MiLB Track Record Suggests Power Will Come
His minor league track record says he will likely strike out more going forward, but also hit the ball with more authority. His maximum exit velocity at AAA Buffalo was 115.4 mph, which would rank 14th in MLB, just behind Bobby Witt Jr. and ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Pete Alonso. The only Blue Jay with a higher exit velocity this year is Vladdy at 116.0.
“What stands out is bat speed,” John Schneider told MLB.com's Keegan Matheson when Piñango was called up. “He hits the ball hard. The way the hitting guys talk about it is that he’s got some bad intentions at the plate. He’s not just trying to touch it. He was performing the best out of the group that we were talking about in Triple-A.”
Only one of Piñango's ten hits with Toronto has gone for extra bases — a double. This is because his average launch angle has been just 1.7 degrees, compared to the MLB average of 12.5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is sometimes criticized for not tapping into his power more because of a low launch angle, has a launch angle of 7.1 degrees (more than 4x that of Piñango for comparison).
A Savvy Deadline Deal
Toronto acquired Piñango and Josh Rivera in a 2024 trade deadline deal with the Cubs for Nate Pearson. At the time, Piñango was largely viewed as the secondary piece in the deal for Toronto, as Rivera was the higher-ranked prospect in the Cubs system (23rd vs. 29th).
The Blue Jays assigned Piñango to AA New Hampshire. The New Hampshire state motto is Live Free or Die. Piñango's power died. He hit just one homer in 127 plate appearances and triple-slashed just .179/.244/.274.
He began 2025 back in the Granite State, repeating AA, given his struggles. He earned a mid-season promotion to AAA Buffalo by triple-slashing .298/.422/.506. His numbers were more middling with Buffalo, but he had opened eyes in the organization with 15 home runs, a 13.1 BB% rate, and a 20.1 K%. Power, patience, and contact will play at any level.
Piñango took it to another level, playing Winter Ball in his native Venezuela, compiling a .363 average, 1.159 OPS, with 24 runs scored, eight home runs, and 31 RBIs in 24 games played.
And then on April 26th, after a strong start in Buffalo, he got the call to Canada when Nathan Lukes was placed on the injured list with a hamstring injury. Schneider has picked his spot for the lefty swinging
Many are speculating Piñango will be the odd man out when Addison Barger returns. As a legitimate prospect, Piñango needs to be playing every day, which is unlikely when Barger returns to a suddenly crowded outfield that also includes Daulton Varsho, Jesus Sanchez, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, and the injured Nathan Lukes.
Piñango, though, is certainly making it a tough decision. Manager John Schneider batted him leadoff Monday, second Tuesday, and even started him against lefty Shane McClanahan on Wednesday. Toronto, though, likely does not want Piñango riding the pine for several days in a row.
Piñango does not deserve to be sent down. However, Davis Schneider provides a right-handed bat, and Lenyn Sosa is out of options. Piñango is not known for being a strong defender or a plus baserunner, limiting his value as a bench piece. He is a corner outfielder, and the bat is his carrying tool.
Even if he does go back to Buffalo, Piñango has certainly made a positive impression. The contact ability raises his floor. The power raises his ceiling. The whole package has raised Toronto's expectations for his future.
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Adam Steinmetz writes about the Toronto Blue Jays for SI.com. Adam is also the editor and publisher of the Boston Sunday Sports Section, a weekly digital publication covering the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins. A two-time winner of the Best Collegiate Sports Writer award in Philadelphia, he began his career with freelance work for The Philadelphia Daily News and The Palm Beach Post before building a successful career outside of journalism. He returned to sports writing last year, contributing to Pitcher List—including coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays—before launching Authorenticity on Substack, where he explores the human stories within baseball. The Boston Sunday Sports Section is his most ambitious project — the thinking fan’s modern Sunday Sports Section focused on the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins.