INF Daniel Pinero

INF Daniel Pinero

Hometown: Toronto, Ont. 

B-T: R-R. 

Ht: 6-5, Wt: 210

School: University of Virginia.  

Previous teams: Ontario Blue Jays, Canadian Junior National Team.

Coaches: Shawn Travers, Dan Bleiwas, Greg Hamilton, Brian O’Connor.

Drafted: 36th round (1090 overall) by Detroit Tigers (2015), 20th round by Houston Astros (2013).

Over the shoulder vid: With a man on third he made an amazing bare-handed grab against the Longwood Lancers in April.  

2016 junior season: Was 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in a 7-3 win over Miami Hurricanes ... In North Carolina Tar Heels series had two walks in  opener a 7-4 win, was 3-for-5 with three RBIs in 15-9 win ... Matched career high with four hits, going 4-for-4 and reaching base safely five times, drove in three runs and scored three times including winning run in 11-10 win over Monmouth ... Hitting .311 with 14 doubles, a triple, a homer in 47 games with 28 RBIs ... He’s 4-for-8 stealing bases with an .849 OPS.

Perfect Game USA Scouting Report: 270. Daniel Pinero, ss, Virginia (JR)
R-R, 6-6/200, Toronto, Ontario
Previously Drafted: Tigers ’15 (36)

Perhaps the tallest shortstop in all of college baseball, standing at 6-foot-6, Pinero’s proven capable of handling the up-the-middle defensive duties at the highest of level with range to either side and easy above average arm strength on throws across. Pinero is a two-time draft pick, the most recent coming in 2015, and he’ll come off the board much higher after this spring. He packs plenty of strength and leverage into his righthanded swing, and though he hasn’t hit as many home runs this spring he’s shown a more advanced approach which has resulted in both a higher batting average and on-base percentage.

2015 sophomore season: Hit .308, eight doubles, one triple, six homers, 29 RBIs, .818 OPS, 9-for-11 stealing bases ... Batted .391 (9-for-23) and scored four runs with .462 OBP in College World Series (all team highs), including 5-for-10 in UVa’s three games against Florida ... Played in 67 of 68 games, Had streak of 82 straight starts at shortstop snapped April 22 (left Longwood game on in second inning after getting hit in chin) ... Led Cavs and fifth in ACC in runs scored (60), fifth most in program history, led team in stolen bases (9) ... Hit six home runs after hitting none his freshman season ... Went deep driving in career-high four runs against Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament.

2014 freshmen season: Batted .261 with six doubles, 22 RBIs, .658 OPS going 10-for-13 stealing ... Started 68 of UVa’s 69 games at shortstop, committing nine errors in 274 chances (.967 fielding percentage) as he was the first UVa freshman to start season opener at shortstop since Mark Reynolds in 2002 ... Batted .250 (13-for-52) in NCAA tournament; 6-for-12 with team-high six runs scored in super regional vs. Maryland and was 4-for-14 in final against Vanderbilt, including three-hit day in Game 1 ... 3-for-10 in Clemson series, 4-for-10 in Miami series, 3-for-4 with two RBIs in first start in No. 2-hole vs, James Madison. 

Honors _ 2015: Earned spot on All-College World Series Team, Second-Team All-ACC, Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List (top SS) Canadian Baseball Network First Team honors ... 2014: Third-Team All-ACC, Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, All-ACC Academic Baseball Team, Canadian Baseball Network Second Team honors.

What they are saying: "I saw his first homer (April 25, a 7-3 win at Miami) does he have the power to play third. Am not sure he has speed and quickness to stay at short." ....  Scouts had concerns his power after zero homers as a freshman, but he hit six last spring ... "Will he get the six-figure bonus he turned down as a high schooler?"

On other lists: 270th on Perfect Game's top 500 combined list ... 369th on Baseball America's top 500 list ... Ranked 8th by Baseball America in top 27 from Virginia ... 69th on Perfect Game’s top 100 junior list ... 86th on Baseball America’s top 100 college list ... Rranked 16th best prospect in ACC by Perfect Game, 19th by BA.

UVA: Virginia wins College World Series
 

Alexis Brudnicki: Pinero’s second trip to Omaha, better than first