Yohendrick Piñango is riding a breakout, but the Blue Jays outfielder is still playing with his father on his mind.
There is a reason Piñango's story hits harder than a normal rookie hot streak. The force behind it starts with Alexander, his late father, the man better known as Reyito.
Sportsnet reported that Piñango was only 6 when his father died on May 11, 2008. He did not want to share the details, but he made clear the loss still shapes him every day.
That is written all over the sleeve tattoo on his right arm. It includes Reyito's image, the date 11-05-08, his father's No. 14, and a message that reads, «You are in heaven, I'm on Earth, one heart.»
Piñango said his father was «a great human being» who always helped in the community. He also said becoming a big-leaguer was one of his father's dreams for him, which is why reaching Toronto means more than just making a roster.
After Reyito died at age 30, his sister Noris took custody of Piñango after speaking with his mother, Yarbelys. From there, Piñango's baseball path became a family mission as much as a personal one.
Noris helped raise him, pushed him in baseball, and helped guide him through life. Piñango said she took him to fields and helped him with everything.
Piñango's rise in Toronto is tied to everything behind him
Piñango first joined a local league at age 7 in Carora and quickly stood out. At 13, he hit for the cycle in front of Álvaro Bernalete, which helped connect him to the Future Stars academy and change his path.
That road led to the Cubs when the 2018 international signing period opened. Then on July 27, 2024, the Blue Jays acquired him and Josh Rivera from Chicago for Nate Pearson.
Toronto liked the bat speed and exit velocity, but the club also believed his steep attack angle was costing him better contact. After winter-ball work with Cardenales de Lara, he took off, then reached Buffalo and later used a .363 average with 8 homers in 24 winter-ball games to help launch this season.
When Nathan Lukes went on the injured list April 25, the Blue Jays called Piñango up from Triple-A. He shared the moment with his wife, Luisana Mendoza, then called his aunt and mother.
Now Schneider admires that Piñango has «bad intentions at the plate,» while hitting coach David Popkins calls his at-bats «fearless.» That edge, Piñango said, is exactly what his father would have loved.
Piñango even said his father would have called him «like an animal in danger,» because that was his father's style, too. Former teammates of Reyito have told him they can see the same aggression in the batter's box.
That is why Piñango's climb feels bigger than a lineup story. Every at-bat with the Blue Jays is tied to loss, family, memory, and the dream his father wanted for him long before Toronto ever called.
Has Yohendrick Piñango already become one of the Blue Jays' easiest players to root for?
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