Washington Nationals Prospect Andrew Pinckney Striving for Improvement
The Washington Nationals have put together quite an impressive stable of young, talented outfielders.
Already in the Major Leagues, the team has James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews in left, center and right field. Young is the oldest of the bunch and will be only 25 years old when Opening Day rolls around in 2025.
Wood is going to be only 22 and Crews will be 23.
In the pipeline, the team has even more talent waiting in the wings. Robert Hassell III, who was the highest-rated prospect in the return package from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade, was excellent in the Arizona Fall League recently. The Nationals thought enough of him to move him to the 40-man roster and project him from the Rule 5 Draft.
Daylen Lile, who is ranked one spot ahead of Hassell at No. 12, is also making moves through the system with an MLB ETA arrival of next season.
A little further down the line is another emerging hitter — Andrew Pinckney. He is older than Wood and Crews, as the Nationals sought to add more experienced prospects to their farm system with college bats.
A fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Alabama Crimson Tide product has hit the ground running with the organization. He is playing all three outfield spots and appreciates the challenge of competing against all of these other young stars.
He recently told Robby Blanco of MASN that when he arrived and saw the list of prospects that were already in the system, he wasn't sure what his path to the Majors was. But, as they've made their way to the Majors, he now sees that as inspiration.
“They’re all my friends," Pinckney said. "And we’re all just getting better together, really."
He is doing an excellent job of moving through the minor leagues, as he reached Triple-A and his numbers remained pretty consistent with what he showed in Double-A.
However, if he is going to continue progressing and become a contributor at the highest level, there are some areas that he needs to improve upon. The most important, as shared by Blanco, is cutting down on strikeouts when it comes to his 2025 outlook.
“Of course, he needs to cut the strikeouts way down," Blanco wrote. "But if his understanding of the strike zone improves, he could develop into a solid all-around player with his defense and speed giving him an edge.”
Last season, he struck out 167 times in 580 plate appearances. In his first experience after college, he had 38 strikeouts in 188 plate appearances.
Making more contact will result in him becoming a dangerous player because opponents will have to account for the speed he brings to the table. That could be the difference in him making an impact at the Major League level or not, as he stole 27 bases in 2024.
Pinckney is certainly confident that he can get the job done. He has seen how the other young outfielders who have reached the MLB practiced their craft and he knows he has things to work on.
