Blue Jays: One prospect who could make major strides if healthy

A product of Lucelia, Brazil, right-hander Eric Pardinho has been a main staple of the Blue Jays’ top prospect list for a number of years. Signed via international free agency back in 2017, Pardinho made the jump stateside in 2018 as a 17-year-old and was dominant through his first two seasons in the Jays organization.

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Always one of the younger players on the team, Pardinho uses his mid 90’s fastball and plus curveball to get hitters out while boasting a repeatable delivery out of the rotation. He also features a changeup that is showing some promise and was looking to be one of the top pitching prospects in the organization before he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery.

While the cancelled 2020 MiLB season was catastrophic for many, it played in Pardinho’s favour as he could recover from the surgery and be ready to go in 2021 without missing a regular season. That however did not happen as setbacks in rehab and some nagging elbow issues limited him to just 3.0 innings in the Florida Complex League last year.

Eric Pardinho has lost a lot of time due to Tommy John surgery and this season needs to stay healthy to prove he can be a top prospect for the Blue Jays.

What once looked to be a promising pitching prospect for the Jays has turned into a quick step back as Pardinho is no longer the younger player on these Rookie League rosters and has also seen his prospect status take a hit. It also led to the Blue Jays leaving him off the 40-man roster and he is now exposed to the Rule 5 Draft once a new CBA is in place (unlikely to be picked, however).

With only 90.2 innings of pro ball under his belt since 2018, the right-hander is going to need to stay healthy this year and get as many innings as he can under his belt. If he can find a way to return to form and stay off the IL, Pardinho could find himself running the minor league ladder in 2022 but could be limited by the organization to monitor the elbow injury.

Regardless, the best thing Eric Pardinho can do this season is to get as many innings as he can on the mound and find that level that authored a 2.41 ERA back in 2019.