Pintar's star continuing to rise for Marlins

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola's Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Moments before taking the field for a game on July 25, Minor League outfielder Andrew Pintar found out he was part of a three-player trade between the Marlins and D-backs.

The next day, Pintar began the 1,010-mile drive from Amarillo, Texas, to Pensacola, Fla., to start the next chapter of his professional baseball career.

“Honestly, I had no idea,” Pintar told MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis over the weekend in Arizona. “I was very shocked to hear about it. I never thought it'd happen to me.”

Nothing should surprise Pintar anymore. His story is one of persevering and defying odds.

Pintar went from a walk-on at Brigham Young University to a fifth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He missed most of that season with a left shoulder injury that required surgery, then played in just 51 games in ’23 due to a broken ankle. Pintar made up for lost time, opening the ’24 season with a .919 OPS in 57 games at High-A before earning a promotion to Double-A.

The 23-year-old struggled in his first taste of the higher level (.526 OPS) prior to the trade that sent him and Minor League home run leader Deyvison De Los Santos to the Marlins for late-inning reliever A.J. Puk.

“They make suggestions, but they traded because they just like what I do, how I play the game, and they just said, kind of, continue being me and go and play every day like I have been,” Pintar said. “And that's what I've been doing, just trying to learn new things from different guys and coaches that I meet. It's been a good transition.”

In 33 games at Double-A Pensacola, Pintar hit .192/.287/.240 with four doubles, one triple, no homers and five steals. He also spent 10 days on the injured list. The Marlins decided to send their No. 18 prospect to the Arizona Fall League.

Despite a 2-for-26 skid, Pintar was named a Fall Star -- as voted on by a combination of scouts, AFL staff and national baseball reporters. He delivered at the annual showcase of baseball’s future stars, collecting a single and a double in two at-bats. Through 26 AFL games, Pintar is slashing .272/.375/.379 with two doubles, three homers and 17 RBIs.

Pintar has used the AFL to tweak his swing and focus on everyday consistency. According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, Pintar’s upright right-handed stance has a minimal lower-half load, but he made the most of his raw power in 2024 by doing a better job of turning on and lifting pitches. His ability to control the strike zone stands out more than his pop.

“Andrew Pintar is another guy our group absolutely loves,” director of Minor League operations Hector Crespo said. “I think [he’s] not a guy that's talked about as much as some of the other ones, but [he’s a] center fielder with a plus run tool and can absolutely go get it in center field. So, really excited what our group has had to say about him as well.”

It wasn’t always that way for Pintar.

An infielder at BYU, Pintar split his time between second base and the outfield during his first professional season in 2023. He has appeared almost exclusively in center in ’24. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report says Pintar’s quickness (60 grade on 20-80 scale) helps him close on balls in the gaps. Now comes the continued work of refining his reads and routes.

“Honestly, it's been a really smooth transition,” Pintar said. “I've been really happy out there. I really like center field. I feel very comfortable out there. My biggest thing is what I was told, when I made the transition, is just to be an athlete, just be smooth. But it's been good. It's been a fun transition. I really like it out there.

“The hardest thing [is] probably line drives, hard line drives, just working on those every day off machines and stuff. Getting good reads on those has probably been the most difficult part. But other than that, it's been pretty smooth.”

Center field has been a relatively thin position within the Marlins’ organization for years. Victor Mesa Jr. (Marlins No. 16 prospect) and Jakob Marsee (No. 19) are the only upper-level natural center fielders in the system.

Does Pintar see this as a path to reach the Majors sooner?

“I honestly don't really look into those things,” Pintar said. “I just take care of my myself, just what I need to do every day, and I just try to be the best version of myself every day and let all that outside stuff kind of take care of itself.”