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Daniel Pinero

Daniel Pinero
Shortstop / Third baseman
Born: (1994-05-02) May 2, 1994 (age 30)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Daniel Pinero (born May 2, 1994) is a Canadian former professional baseball shortstop. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 9th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, for whom he spent 6 years in the minor leagues.

Career

Pinero attended the Humberside Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario.[1] The Houston Astros selected Pinero in the 20th round of the 2013 MLB draft, but he did not sign with the team.[2] He enrolled at the University of Virginia, where he played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers.[3] In 2015, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4]

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers selected Pinero in the ninth round of the 2016 MLB draft. He signed with the Tigers,[5] and made his professional debut with the GCL Tigers. After slashing .333/.448/.667 with two home runs and six RBIs in seven games, he was promoted to the Low-A Connecticut Tigers and he finished the season there, batting .261 with 16 RBIs in 43 games. In 2017, he played for the Single-A West Michigan Whitecaps where he batted .289 with four home runs and 56 RBIs in 120 games.[6] In 2018, Pinero spent the year with the High-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, slashing .263/.352/.396 with 9 home runs and 59 RBI.[7]

Pinero split the 2019 season between the Double-A Erie SeaWolves and the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, posting a slash of .235/.328/.417 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 116 games between the two teams. Pinero did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] In 2021, Pinero only made 15 total appearances, all with Toledo and Lakeland, and hit .216/.375/.405 with 1 home run and 7 RBI. On March 25, 2022, Pinero was released by the Tigers organization.[9]

Gastonia Honey Hunters

On August 29, 2022, Pinero signed with the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[10] He became a free agent following the season.

In March 2023, Pinero became a sales associate at Franklin Street Commercial Real Estate.[11]

International career

Pinero played for the Canadian national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic[12][13] and 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier.[14]

Personal life

Pinero's father, Reinaldo, played baseball for the Cuban national baseball team.[3]

References