Alabama Baseball alumni Andrew Pinckney rising up prospect rankings

Throughout the 2023 Alabama Baseball season, one player stood out as one of the best players in the SEC and perhaps the country and that was Andrew Pinckney. The outfielder hit .339 leading the team with 12 doubles, three triples, and 18 home runs. Pinckney's season resulted in the following honors: All-SEC Second Team, NCAA Tournament team for the Tuscaloosa regional, SEC All-Tournament team, SEC Position Player of the Week, and SEC Co-Player of the Week.

In addition to his ability as a power hitter, Pinckney was a solid defender with a knack for stealing bases. Pinckney stole 43 bases in 49 attempts over his last three seasons of college baseball including his stats from summer ball.

Pinckney would go on to be drafted in the fourth round by the Washington Nationals where he went under the radar due to first-round pick Dylan Crews garnering all of the attention.

Pinckney however, hit the ground running in Rookie ball batting .500 in his first two games at the level. In 162 at-bats in the minor leagues, Pinckney hit .321/.415/.872 with 4 HRs, 20 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. This hitting surge has caused Pinckney to jump from the mid-20s in the Nationals system to the ninth-ranked prospect in the team's system.

While Pinckney won't make the Nationals out of Spring Training or early on this season, at the rate he's progressed through the system Pinckney will have a chance to make the big leagues before seasons end. It took Pinckney just 2 games to jump from rookie ball to low-a, then 17 games before reaching High-A, before making the jump to AA after just 18 games.

While the speed and other tools certainly will excite the Nationals you have to be the most excited about Pinckney's ability to hit at every level of the minors thus far. The rate at which Pinckney has hit in the minors is similar to the path that Juan Soto took in making the major leagues after starting the season in A-Ball.

A few other Alabama Baseball Alum's to watch this spring

David Robertson who was drafted in the 2006 Draft prepares for his 17th Spring Training as he joins the defending World Series Champion Rangers. Former second-round pick Spencer Turnbull signed a one-year contract with the Phillies as he looks to make the roster after missing significant time due to Tommy John surgery. Drafted in the same class as Pinckney was left-handed pitcher Grayson Hitt who ranks 17th in the Diamondbacks system and could be a fast riser through the minors once he recovers from his April Tommy John surgery.