Josmil Pinto

[William Malone]

Josmil Oswaldo Pinto was born on March 31, 1989 in Venezuela.

The Minnesota Twins signed him as an international free agent in 2006. He was an All-Star at multiple minor league levels, consistently putting up great offensive numbers. However, poor defensive behind home plate often kept Pinto low on "top prospect" lists. Baseball America never ranked him among the Twins top prospects. He hit .308 with an .892 OPS at the Double-A level in 2013, and made his Major League debut that fall as a September call-up.

Pinto wasted no time making an impact at the big league level, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double in his September 1st debut. He was 4-for-5 with two runs scored in his second game. His first Major League home run came on September 6th against Casey Janssen of the Toronto Blue Jays. Pinto also had three doubles in a win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on September 9th. He would finish September batting .342 with four home runs and 12 RBI, appearing in 21 games.

Joe Mauer made the full time switch to first base during the off-season, and the Twins signed veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki to play alongside Pinto. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire penciled in Suzuki as the starter for each of the first two regular season games, but Pinto went deep when he finally got his name on the lineup card in game three. He finished April with a .908 OPS in 20 games, which included a few starts at designated hitter.

His bat eventually cooled off a bit, and the poor defense eventually began to show up. Base stealers were a perfect 20-for-20 against Pinto in 2014, and he was worth -8 defensive runs saved in just 25 games behind the plate. After slashing .200/.227/.329 between May 1st and June 6th, the Twins optioned him to Triple-A. Pinto hit very well once down in Triple-A, but he wasn't recalled again until the rosters expanded in September. His offensive and defensive struggles resumed in September.

Pinto spent all of 2015 in the minor leagues. The Twins designated him for assignment that off-season. He was claimed on waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers, and appeared in six Major League games for them in 2016. All six appearances were as a pinch hitter, and Pinto never saw the field for them.

The San Francisco Giants signed him to a minor league deal in 2017. Pinto spent the entire year on the disabled list, and was released after the season. 

View full player