Should the Blue Jays Option Yohendrick Piñango When Addison Barger Returns?

On July 27, 2024, the Blue Jays acquired Yohendrick Piñango and Josh Rivera from the Cubs in exchange for Nate Pearson. Last season, Piñango posted a 124 wRC+ with the Buffalo Bisons. However, Toronto left him off the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, another team did not select him. Let us take a deeper dive into Piñango’s numbers.

Since Piñango made his MLB debut on April 26, he has been one of the Blue Jays’ better hitters. As of May 25, his .342 OBP ranked second on the team, and his .333 wOBA and .403 SLG were the team's fourth-highest. In the field, many scouts considered his defence to be below average. Entering the May 25 game, Piñango had a 1 OAA and 0 FRV in limited innings (144). However, that evening, he misplayed two very makeable catches, which are not reflected in those OAA and FRV numbers. Also, he is not fleet of foot (44th percentile in sprint speed). For a more fulsome prospect report, please refer to the Jays Centre’s top prospect rankings.

From a batted ball perspective, he is a straightaway hitter. Piñango’s pull rate is 32.7%, lower than the 37.4% MLB average. His straightaway contact rate is 43.6%, higher than the MLB average of 37.3%. Regarding opposite field rate, the MLB average is 25.1%, higher than Piñango’s 23.6% mark. He is also a contact hitter, as shown by his 83.7% contact rate (74.7% MLB average) and swings at pitches out of the zone at a 32.0% clip, slightly higher than MLB’s 30.1% average chase rate. Piñango’s strikeout, walk, and whiff rate marks are 17.1%, 5.3% and 19.9%, respectively. Those scores are lower than the corresponding MLB averages (22.1%, 9.3%, and 25.3%).

Generating power is an area where Piñango lags the average MLB hitter: his .097 ISO and .099 xISO trail MLB’s average .148 ISO and .155 xISO. There are three reasons why Piñango has produced below-average power numbers.

First, his pull rate lags the MLB average. On batted balls pulled, hit straightaway and to the opposite field, the MLB average ISO numbers are .312, .112 and .139, respectively. Piñango’s opportunity to generate ISO is limited due to his below-average amount of pulled contact.

The second reason is launch angle. The MLB average launch angle is 13 degrees, whereas Piñango’s is 7 degrees. Consider that, on batted balls with a launch angle between 0 and 10 degrees, the average ISO and xISO are .065 and .071, respectively. Contrast those figures with launch angles between 11 and 15 degrees, on which the average ISO and xISO are .182 and .192, respectively. If Piñango could raise his average launch angle, we should observe higher ISO numbers.

The third factor that negatively impacts Piñango’s power numbers is his attack angle/timing. According to the MLB website, attack angle is “in large part a timing metric, as the hitter’s attack angle is constantly changing throughout the course of the swing … When the hitter is behind the pitch with his swing (i.e., too late), he will tend to have a lower attack angle.” The MLB average attack angle is 9 degrees, but Piñango’s is -1 degree. Regarding ideal attack angle rate, his 21.9% is well below the MLB average of 48.8%. 

For context, the average ISO on batted balls with an attack angle between 5 and 20 degrees is .203. Concerning Piñango’s average attack angle, the MLB average ISO on batted balls with an attack angle between -1 and 4 degrees is .081. 

Notably, an issue for Piñango is not bat speed, as his average is 73.7 mph, faster than the MLB average of 69.8 mph. Therefore, as he gains MLB experience, if Piñango can generate a higher pull rate, launch angle and attack angle, he should post better power numbers.

Now, to the question of whether Piñango should be Buffalo-bound when Barger returns, let us peek at a long-overdue table!

The metrics I selected for the table are those with the highest correlation with scoring runs. In a prior article, I calculated regression results for the last 11 162-game regular seasons (2013-2019 and 2021-2024) with various metrics and runs. Why the focus on runs? Toronto ranks 22nd in runs per game as of May 25. Concerning the decision to make room for Barger, one of the factors the Blue Jays should consider is a player’s performance in metrics that lead to run scoring.

As shown in the table, Piñango’s SLG, wOBA and OBP are better than the MLB average. Furthermore, his SLG, wOBA and OBP rankings among the 2026 Blue Jays with at least 50 plate appearances are fourth, fourth and second, respectively. His xSLG, xwOBA, and xOBP numbers are marginally below the corresponding MLB averages.

Accordingly, except for ISO, Piñango’s metrics that are strongly correlated with run-scoring scream, “No Buffalo for the rookie!” However, there are other issues to consider. The table demonstrates that Piñango has generated better numbers than Lenyn Sosa. However, if Toronto removed Sosa from the 26-man roster instead of Piñango, Sosa would have to clear waivers because he has no MiLB options remaining. Given that Sosa has been awful (32 wRC+), losing him to waivers would not be catastrophic, to say the least.

Nevertheless, the primary concern is that Sosa is Toronto’s only backup middle infielder. If the Blue Jays add Barger, keep Piñango and cut ties with Sosa, Toronto will have six outfielders (Piñango, Barger, Nathan Lukes, Daulton Varsho, Jesús Sánchez, and Myles Straw). Who would play second base or shortstop if Andrés Giménez or Ernie Clement were not available? Therefore, Toronto needs a backup middle infielder, but it does not need to be Sosa. Perhaps Davis Schneider can rebound after his stint in Buffalo, or a Buffalo Bison (Josh Kasevich) can replace Sosa. Of course, there is always the possibility that Toronto could add a middle infielder from the trade market.

Lastly, a topic for another day is the batter-handedness of Toronto’s outfielders. Of the six, including Piñango, only one (Straw) is a right-handed batter. As of May 25, Toronto’s outfielders have a 65 wRC+ versus left-handed pitchers, which ranks 24th. Against right-handed pitchers, the Blue Jays’ outfielders have posted a 109 wRC+, good for ninth-best. At some point this season, Toronto’s management should add a lefty-masher to the outfield mix.

What does this mean for Piñango when Barger returns? Unfortunately, he appears to be the one who would be Buffalo-bound. Suppose Toronto wants to carry 13 pitchers on the 26-man roster. Accordingly, there will be eight slots occupied by non-outfielders: four infielders, two catchers, one designated hitter, and one middle infielder. Hence, Toronto will deploy five outfielders. Barger, Sánchez, and Varsho should remain because they offer the power that the team needs. Lukes and Straw offer flexibility because they can play more than one outfield position well. The three primary strikes against Piñango remaining on the 26-man roster are his below-average power (ISO), his left-handed bat for a team with a surplus of left-handed-hitting outfielders, and his recent defensive woes. Hence, the game of roster musical chairs leaves Piñango standing (in Buffalo).

The Last Word

Piñango has had a particularly good season thus far. Since joining the big league club in April, he has produced a 112 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR. However, with Barger's imminent return, Toronto will have one too many outfielders, and Piñango will likely be Buffalo-bound.