Terriers' Pinkney leads Diamond Jacks with 1.315 OPS in 17 games
Hugh Pinkney (Etobicoke, Ont.) impressed in a three-tournament stint with the New Jersey-based Diamond Jacks Super 17s.
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
A lot of high schoolers spent the spring south of the border on diamonds from Arizona to Florida to Georgia.
Few had better springs than Ontario Terriers Hugh Pinkney (Etobicoke, Ont.). A Rutgers University commit, he played with the Diamond Jacks Super 17s based in Flemington, N.J.
He led the Diamond Jacks with a 1.315 OPS as he hit .500 in 17 games. He led the team despite position players who are headed to Clemson, Ohio State, Tulane, Boston College and Stetson.
Pinkney, an Etobicoke Rangers grad from Denny Berni’s Pro-Teach program, had seven doubles, a homer and 13 RBIs. He slugged .750 with a .565 on-base mark. Most of the time he faced pitchers who already had committed to Division I schools. Everyday pitching resembled T-12 pitching.
Some of the season he hit in the No. 3 spot and his Rutgers coaches want him to play in a summer collegiate league in 2022. How his summer went:
At the 2021 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship staged at Hoover Met Sports Complex in Hoover, Al.
_ Catching and hitting eighth, he singled in a 6-2 loss to the 5 Star National 17U Black.
At the 57-team 2022 Grads or 17U National championship at the TOP Chops East Cobb Complex in Marietta, GA.
_ Playing right field and batting seventh he was 3-for-3 and knocked in a pair of runs as the Diamond Jacks battled the Nokona Chiefs to a 9-9 tie. He singled to left to knock in the tying run in the final inning, lined a run-scoring single to left in the third and lined a single to centre in the second.
_ Batting seventh he was 1-for-1 with a double in a 13-1 loss to the Georgia Bombers 16U Marucci. Pinkney doubled to left in his only at-bat.
Hugh Pinkney (2022, Etobicoke, Ont.) was one of the few Diamond Jackets to get a piece of Capocci. The Rutgers commit drove a 90 mph fastball up in the zone to the left field wall for a double. With just a flick of the wrists, Pinkney’s strength and power lifted one to the opposite field. He is equipped with long levers and strong hands that rip through the zone. It’s a simple left-handed swing with minimal pre-load movement, but Pinkney generates plenty of hard contact with his strong upper half. His barrel control and intriguing power to the opposite field opened eyes on Wednesday. He is a solid addition behind the dish for Rutgers.
_ Isaiah Burrows
_ Batting seventh, he was 1-for-3 in an 8-2 win Diamond Jacks win over the Bulldogs 2022. He doubled for his base knock.
_ Hitting seventh and playing right field Pinkney, he led the way for the Diamond Jacks offence in a 5-1 win over the FTB Tucci 2022, going 1-for-3 with 1 run scored. Pinkney is hitting .583 through five games.
_ Pinkney was voted to the All Tournament Hitters team going 8-for-15 (.533) with a pair of doubles and six RBIs. He had a .533 on-base mark and a 1.200 OPS.
At the Perfect Game Super25 17U National championship staged at the Richmond County Youth Complex on Staten Island, NY.
_ Hitting fifth, Pinkney homered as the Diamond Jacks 6-0 win over Team Beast 2022. He went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Pinkney hit a solo homer in the fourth making it 4-0 and singled to left in the seventh.
_ Batting clean-up he was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs as the Diamond Jacks knocked off the Mid-Atlantic Ghost 17U 15-8. He had a run-scoring double to centre in the second giving his club a 7-4 lead and singled to left in the first making it 3-0.
_ Hitting fifth and playing right field, Pinkney was 1-for-1 with a double and a run scored in an 8-4 victory over Show Ne 17u American and is now hitting .833 through three games. He hit a run-scoring double in the fifth for a 7-4 lead and then stole third base.
_ Batting third and playing right field, Pinkney was 3-for-4 in a 4-3 win over Scanzano/Combat 2022. He singled to right in the first, lined a double to centre in the fifth and singled on a line to right to score the winner for the walk-off win. Pinkney is hitting .750 through five games.
_ Batting third and catching, again he was the Diamond Jacks best going 1-for-2 in an 11-0 loss to Long Island Body Armor Titans. Pinkney doubled on a line drive to centre in the fifth. He is hitting .714 through six games.
_ Again he earned all-tournament honours going 10-for-14 (.714) with five doubles, a homer and two RBIs. He slugged .765 and had an OPS of 2.050.
So, he went to three tournies with the Diamond Jacks and earned all-tournament honours in two of them.
Not a bad spring.