I base my optimism for Pinto on 1) minor league performance--he swung at strikes in NB and Roch. He was very consistent--not many o'fers and a lot of game with a hit or walk. A lot of extra base hits. 2) Eyeball test--compared to Colabello, he looks like Paul Molitor. Quiet at the plate, not off balance, able to adjust to hit off-speed stuff. He hasn't appeared to be fooled very often. 3) Almost all of his hits have been hit hard--when he had three doubles, the ball was stung each time. He isn't dropping bloopers over the infielder's heads.