Aggressive swings and a fearless approach from a young Blue Jay are turning heads. But the outputs are far more deep-rooted than just skills and confidence. The rookie channels the loss of his father and allows it to shape his mentality even after 18 years.
Long before Yohendrick Pinangostarted wearing the Blue Jays jersey, love and dedication for the game were already injected in his blood. And the biggest influence comes from his late father, Alexander.
24-year-old Pinango lost his father at the age of 6. But his old man used the little time he had to push his son toward baseball. The father, nicknamed Reyito, was a professional basketball player in Venezuela. And he enjoyed playing baseball and volleyball as well. The father-son duo would spend as much time as they could practicing baseball.
"Even before I played in a league, off the field, I always worked out with him, and he knew it," said Pinango. "He always told me that, to keep working, you're going to be good."
And now that he has made it to the major league, the youngster feels like he has finally fulfilled his father's dream.
"One of his dreams for me was to become a ballplayer, a big-leaguer. That's one of the things I took from him, and I'm very happy that I made it, not only for myself but for him, because I know that's what he wanted me to do," Pinango said proudly.
Reyito was only 30 when he suffered an untimely death, leaving young Yohendrick with his older sister, Noris. She kept her promise to Reyito and pushed Pinango to play professional baseball. But the Blue Jays rookie is still not over his father's demise.
Young Pinango has immortalized his father on his right arm through a detailed tattoo . It has Reyito's face, surrounded by a baseball glove holding a ball, a basketball hoop, and 2 silhouettes playing on either side of a volleyball net. The most important part appears in words in his upper arm.
"tu en cielo, yo en la tierra, un solo corazón."
It means, "you are in heaven, I am on earth, only one heart."
Pinango also has the date of his demise, 11-05-08, his name and jersey number, #14, tattooed on the same arm. But he didn't look up to him just because of their sports connection.
Pinango proudly recalls how his father used to help the community.
However, he didn't want to share the details of the misfortune that took his father from him at a delicate age. But it is remarkable how the father set him on the right path even without being physically by his side.
Within a year of his father's loss, Yohendrick Pinango joined the local league in Carora, his hometown. He led the team to the championship and won all the individual hitting awards. He quickly built a reputation, and it resulted in grabbing the scouts' attention at the age of 13.
He joined an academy called Future Stars, approximately 90 minutes away from his home. Pinango mentioned how Noris wanted him to study more. But she also knew the passion for baseball he had in his blood and had to ultimately agree.
And that opened the door for bigger opportunities as he was able to get into the Chicago Cubs ' system in 2018.
The teenager spent over 5 years there before the Blue Jays acquired him on July 27, 2024. He was incredibly happy to be a part of the Jays, and for Toronto , the feeling was mutual.
"They told me to keep doing what you're doing, we like that you're always aggressive, very aggressive hitter, you like to do damage at any count, and that's what I'm doing since," Pinango recollected.
The Toronto player-development staff was impressed with his bat speed and exit velocity. But they also found a minor yet important issue with his hitting angle.
His swings were resulting in too many groundballs.
He worked hard to maximize the quality of his contact while playing winterball with the Cardenales de Lara after the 2024 season. His smashing performance with double-A New Hampshire saw Pinango get a bump to triple-A Buffalo in 2 months. He played 84 games, recording a .714 OPS in Triple-A. He went back to Double-A to hit 8 HRs with a .363 AVG in just 24 games.
He was called up to the majors when Nathan Luke was put on the IL on April 25. That was the moment. His big moment. Pinango cherished it with his wife before calling his aunt and mother.
Even he wasn't expecting a call-up this soon, but he sure seized the moment. He has a .333 batting average and .810 OPS so far.
David Popkins, the Blue Jays' hitting coach, praised his fearless mindset during the at-bats. And Pinango thanks his father for the aggressiveness. His old man's former teammates recognized how he reflects the same aggression as his father.
Yohendrick Pinango has another set of words on the side of his forearm. It says, "No todo lo que, tiene Vida Vivo, No todo lo que, Muere a Muerto."
That is Spanish for "not everything that lives is alive, not everything that dies is dead."
"It's still a challenge, it's an everyday challenge to live without your dad," exclaimed Pinango. "It's very hard, especially the way everything happened."
But despite those hardships, it is truly incredible how the young talent has fared in life and on the field.
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