Andrew Pinkney has a Michael a Taylor starter kit. He is a dynamic athlete with excellent defensive skills. Pinkney also has an impressive raw power, but he hasn’t translated it into the game yet. With a suspicious hit tool, he appears to be the fourth outfielder of the prototype.
The Washington Nationals built the 2023 draft, centering on three players. Number 2 picks Dillancrue, second round pick Yondi Morales and third round slot pick Travis Sicola. These players occupied a large portion of the team’s bonus pool. That is, NAT had to attack many slot deals later in the draft.
One of those deals was for Andrew Pinckney, who was selected in the fourth round. He was a senior at the University of Alabama, so cutting back on trades at Pinkney was easy. The so-called senior signs are usually done at a low price. Pinckney is one of the best seniors available and still has its community year, but it has grown its $500,000 bonus.
So far, Pinkney has performed as expected in his minor league career. There is a large athletic ability with some flashes on the plate, but there is not enough contact. Pinkney dominated the lower levels of minors in 2023, but faced more challenges at the higher levels last year.
He attacked 167 times last season. This is a painful sight in the eyes. But it will always be part of Pinkney’s game. The more discouraging part was the inactive 8 Homer he set up.
Speed and defense are always there for Pinkney, but he needs to show more impact. He generates a high-end exit speed, but you need to make sure it is converted to power to Homer. Pinkney showed off some of its strengths today Home run In a spring breakout game.
Andrew Pinkney is a talented player, but in such a crowded Nationals outfield he has to really take down the door to get a chance. We’ve seen a lot of him this spring, so it’s clear that the organization likes him. But Dylan’s crew, James Wood, Jacob Young, Robert Hassel and Dalen Lyle are all in the mix, and Pinkney really needs to play to get the shot.
He’s 24 years old so his ceiling is probably Michael’s Taylor style fourth outfielder/occasional starter, but he has talent. It remains to be seen whether he will have the opportunity to show it at the NATS big league level.