René Pinto (baseball)
| René Pinto | |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays – No. 50 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: November 2, 1996 Maracay, Venezuela | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 26, 2022, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| MLB statistics (through April 14, 2024) | |
| Batting average | .239 |
| Home runs | 10 |
| Runs batted in | 31 |
| Teams | |
| |
René Rafael Pinto Escobar (born November 2, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Career
[edit]Pinto signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent on October 1, 2013.[1] Pinto spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons with the Venezuelan Summer League Rays; hitting .264/.318/.347/.666 with 1 home run and 11 RBI in 14' and .323/.379/.552/.931 with 6 home runs and 38 RBI in 2015.[2] He split the 2016 season between the GCL Rays and the Princeton Rays, hitting a combined .262/.304/.483/.788 with 8 home runs and 28 RBI.[2] Pinto split the 2017 season between the GCL and the Bowling Green Hot Rods, hitting a combined .290/.339/.396/.734 with 3 home runs and 39 RBI.[2] He spent the 2018 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, hitting .301/.353/.407/.759 with 1 home run and 38 RBI.[2] Pinto spent the 2019 season with the Montgomery Biscuits, hitting .235/.303/.354/.657 with 5 home runs and 30 RBI.[3] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pinto split the 2021 season between Montgomery and the Durham Bulls, hitting a combined .274/.325/.500/.825 with 20 home runs and 60 RBI.[4][5]
On November 7, 2021, Tampa Bay selected Pinto's contract to the 40-man roster.[6]
On April 22, 2022, Pinto was added to the Rays roster as a covid-replacement for Francisco Mejía.[7] He made his MLB debut on April 26 against the Seattle Mariners. After Mike Zunino left the game with a left biceps injury, Pinto replaced him. In the same game, Pinto collected his first major league hit, a two-run home run off of Mariners reliever Matt Koch. He became the 10th player in Rays history to get a home run as his first MLB hit.[8] He appeared in 25 games for Tampa Bay in his rookie campaign, hitting .213/.241/.325 with 2 home runs and 10 RBI.
Pinto was optioned to Triple-A Durham to begin the 2023 season.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "René Pinto Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Rene Pinto Minor, Amateur & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Tolentino, Josh (February 19, 2020). "Thoughts on all 32 position players reporting to Rays spring training". The Athletic. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Staff Reports (November 7, 2021). "Rays' Rene Pinto: Added to 40-man roster". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ RaysRadio (November 7, 2021). "Rays Pick Up Zunino Option, Add Catcher to Roster". Medium. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (November 7, 2021). "Following All-Star season, Rays pick up Mike Zunino's option for 2022". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ McDonald, Darragh (April 22, 2022). "Francisco Mejia Test Positive For Covid-19". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ "Backup Catcher Rene Pinto Makes the Most of MLB Debut With Home Run". si.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ "Rays' Rene Pinto: Sent to Durham". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
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