Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Eric Pardinho has parlayed his excellent 2024 campaign into another chance to represent his country.
The 24-year-old Pardinho was named to Brazil’s roster on Thursday for the upcoming World Baseball Classic qualifiers held in Tucson, Ariz., from March 2-6.
Pardinho is coming off a season in which he pitched at two levels in the Blue Jays organization, delivering 26.2 innings of 1.01-ERA ball at double-A New Hampshire before getting promoted to triple-A Buffalo.
In Buffalo, the five-foot-10 right-hander posted a 5.34 ERA over 28.2 innings but finished the year strong, delivering 12 straight scoreless outings to end 2024.
Originally signed by the Blue Jays as an international free agent for $1.4 million in 2017, Pardinho began his professional career on the path to stardom. As an 18-year-old, he cracked both Baseball America’s and MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects list for his performance in rookie ball.
However, the Brazilian needed Tommy John surgery in 2020 and struggled upon his full return in 2022.
He didn’t fare much better in 2023 but turned things around last season, earning the jump to triple-A.
Pardinho became a minor-league free agent at the end of the year but ultimately re-signed with Toronto and received a non-roster invite to spring training.
This won’t be the first time that Pardinho has represented Brazil on the international stage. He pitched for his country at the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in 2017 and helped Brazil win silver at the 2023 Pan American Games.
