It has been a long, difficult road for one time Colorado Rockies first round draft pick Riley Pint.
The fourth overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft, Pint was a top 100 prospect prior to the 2017 and 2018 seasons. His high octane fastball and plus curve made him one of the top pitching prospects in the game. However, injuries and an inability to command his arsenal led to Pint walking away from the game during the 2021 season. The Rockies left the door open in case he wanted to return, but it seemed that Pint needed something else.
Colorado Rockies reward Riley Pint with major league promotion
Pint’s journey in baseball was not over. He returned to the Rockies organization for the 2022 season, remaining healthy all season while posting solid numbers. His performance led to his being added to the 40 man roster in the offseason. That journey took another step on Sunday when he was promoted to the majors, taking Ryan Feltner’s place on the active roster.
It is fair to wonder if Pint will have success in the majors. He had posted a 7.41 ERA and a 2.059 WHiP in his 17 Triple-A innings this year, striking out 24 batters with 16 walks. However, it is worth noting that the Pacific Coast League is an offensive haven. Opponents have a .395 batting average on balls in play against Pint while he has stranded just 63.3% of his baserunners. Those numbers will theoretically normalize.
Maybe that will happen in the majors. The Rockies will likely use Pint in lower leverage spots due to his command issues, at least to start. If he proves that he can generate outs, maybe he can find himself in a more prominent role. The Rockies bullpen does have plenty of issues after all. Pint’s journey could be far more than a feel good story once he makes his debut.
Riley Pint has battled his way to the majors. The former Colorado Rockies first round pick could become quite the feel good story.
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