After overcoming injuries Marlins prospect Andrew Pintar is on the doorstep of his dreams

Over the last year, the Miami Marlins have added an influx of talent as they reshaped their roster and minor league system. One of the prospects brought over via trade was outfielder Andrew Pintar, who has become one of the organization's most promising prospects. While Pintar has made headlines with his bat, his journey to the Marlins is one of perseverance.

The Utah native began his career at Brigham Young University as a walk-on before becoming a fifth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He missed most of that season due to a shoulder injury. He was limited to 51 games the following year due to a broken ankle. However, that didn't stop the Diamondbacks from seeing the potential in his bat.

“ I ended up getting picked up by the Diamondbacks which was honestly a blessing, it was awesome,” Pintar said. “ They have a really good medical team. They trust their medical team to get players back to where they were and I spent basically my first full year in pro ball rehabbing which was kind of hard. Ever since that I haven’t had an ounce of pain in my shoulder.”

Once Pintar was healthy, he showed flashes of the player he was in college. He played at four levels during his first professional season, finishing with a .243 batting average in 58 games. The talented 24-year-old also showed some power with 15 extra-base hits.

In his second professional pro, Pintar continued to make adjustments, posting a .255 batting average in 102 games. As he moved through the Diamondbacks system, he caught the eyes of other organizations, including Miami. That led to him being involved in the A.J. Puk trade.

"It was a complete 180," Pintar said. "I had just settled into Armarillo. That's where Double-A is for the Diamondbacks. I was about to take the field for a game, and they pulled me off and said, you're possibly in a trade; it's pending a physical from A.J. Puk. That went through, and they were like, you're going to Miami. The next day, I was packing my bags and heading to Pensacola.”

While Pintar has only been in the Marlins system for less than a year, he has adjusted well to a new organization. That is partly due to a few familiar faces and the talent he is surrounded by. 

“ It was good,” Pintar said. “ Everyone welcomed me in. I went to a team that had a lot of traded-for guys that year. The Marlins kind of got rid of everyone and got a bunch of prospects. Most of them came to Double-A, and it was cool to share stories and be in a similar place. It was kind of tough mentally going to a new organization.” 

Through 32 games this year in Triple-A, Pintar has shown why the Marlins made getting him a priority. In 104 at-bats, he has posted a .308 batting average and driven in nine runs. He has been an on-base machine and spark plug for the Jumbo Shrimp. His success has partly been due to being stubborn with his approach.

"You get a lot of veteran arms here," Pintar said. "You're seeing guys command four pitches in every type of count. They know your weaknesses, and they are going to come after them. Sticking and being stubborn to my approach has been the biggest thing. I'm finding that more and getting more comfortable with that.”