René Pinto (baseball)

René Rafael Pinto Escobar (born November 2, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pinto and the second or maternal family name is Escobar.
René Pinto
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 50
Catcher
Born: (1996-11-02) November 2, 1996
Maracay, Venezuela
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 26, 2022, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.235
Home runs8
Runs batted in26
Teams

Career

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
  1. "René Pinto Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  2. "Rene Pinto Minor, Amateur & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  3. Tolentino, Josh (February 19, 2020). "Thoughts on all 32 position players reporting to Rays spring training". The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  4. Staff Reports (November 7, 2021). "Rays' Rene Pinto: Added to 40-man roster". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  5. RaysRadio (2021-11-07). "Rays Pick Up Zunino Option, Add Catcher to Roster". Medium. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  6. Topkin, Marc (November 7, 2021). "Following All-Star season, Rays pick up Mike Zunino's option for 2022". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  7. McDonald, Darragh (April 22, 2022). "Francisco Mejia Test Positive For Covid-19". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  8. "Backup Catcher Rene Pinto Makes the Most of MLB Debut With Home Run". si.com. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  9. "Rays' Rene Pinto: Sent to Durham". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
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