The San Diego Padres made a minor pitching move yesterday, signing former Colorado Rockies pitcher Riley Pint to a minor league deal that comes with a spring training invite, with the signing reported by Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com.
Signing a Rockies pitcher always seems questionable when you read about it in the headline, and there’s certainly reason for doubt about this signing. Pint was actually a top-five pick for the Rockies coming out of high school in 2016, with his upper-level velocity being the main attraction.
Unfortunately, though Pint was never able to put it together enough to become a big league pitcher who could deliver consistent results. His fastball sat around 95 mph to go with an upper 80s slider, but his lack of command and control has been the big problem throughout his career.
Pint was originally projected to be a starter, but his lack of control surfaced as an issue so quickly that he was immediately pushed to the bullpen. He couldn’t conquer the issue in the low minors, and Pint actually announced his retirement in High A in 2021, but he made a comeback the next season and managed to pitch his way onto Colorado’s 40-man roster by the end of the 2022 season.
Pint continued to struggle with control, though, and he made just five big-league appearances in 2023-24, striking out seven hitters in 3-2/3 innings, but he also issued eight walks, hit two batters and threw four wild pitches, so those appearances were memorable. Colorado outright him in the second half of 2024 with an ERA of 4.12, and the contrast was vivid between his impressive 36 percent strikeout rate and a walk rate of 21 percent.
The Cleveland Guardians took a flyer on Pint last year, but he was placed on the injured list with an undisclosed issue after signing a minor league deal. Last month, however, Pint got healthy enough to throw for scouts, and his fastball reached 97 mph.
The Padres are taking a similar flyer with this signing. Pint won’t make the team this spring training, but if he can showcase his velocity again and show the potential to throw strikes, he could start the season at Triple-A El Paso. Pitchers who can throw as hard as Riley always get multiple opportunities, so it will be interesting to see if San Diego has better luck than Cleveland did last year. Right now he projects as a depth piece, but the Padres love pitchers who can throw hard and Pint certainly qualifies in that department.