Andrew Pinckney is a very athletic outfielder who has the tools to thrive in the MLB
Andrew Pinckney has the Michael A Taylor starter kit. He is a dynamic athlete with good defensive skills. Pinckney also has impressive raw power, but he has not translated that into games yet. With a suspect hit tool, he seems like a prototypical fourth outfielder.
The Washington Nationals built their 2023 draft around three players. Number 2 pick Dylan Crews, second round pick Yohandy Morales, and third round over slot pick Travis Sykora. Those players took up the vast majority of the teams bonus pool. That meant that the Nats had to strike a lot of under slot deals later in the draft.
One of those deals was for Andrew Pinckney, who was selected in the fourth round. It was easier to cut a deal on Pinckney because he was a senior at the University of Alabama, taking away a lot of his negotiating leverage. So called senior signs are usually done on the cheap. Being one of the top seniors available and still having that COVID year, Pinckney got a sizable but under slot $500,000 bonus.
So far in his Minor League career, Pinckney has performed as expected. Great athleticism with some flashes at the plate, but not enough contact. Pinckney dominated the lower levels of the Minors in 2023, but faced more challenges in the upper levels last year.
He struck out 167 times last season, which is a sight for sore eyes. However, that will always be a part of Pinckney’s game. The more discouraging part was the lackluster 8 homers he put up.
The speed and defense will always be there for Pinckney, but he needs to show more impact. He produces high end exit velocities, but we need to see that translate into power into homers. Pinckney showed off some of that power today with a home run in the Spring Breakout game.
Andrew Pinckney is a talented player, but in such a crowded Nationals outfield, he will really have to knock down the doors to get a chance. We have seen a lot of him this spring, so it is clear the organization likes him. However, with Dylan Crews, James Wood, Jacob Young, Robert Hassell, and Daylen Lile all in the mix, Pinckney will have to really perform to get a shot.
He is 24, so his ceiling is probably a Michael A Taylor style fourth outfielder/occasional starter, but he has some talent. It remains to be seen whether he gets the chance to show it at the big league level for the Nats.