Eric Pardinho

Eric Eiji Taniguchi Pardinho

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.

• Born January 5, 2001 in Bastos, São Paulo, Brazil

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Eric Pardinho was only 15 years old when he debuted for the Brazilian national team.

Pardinho was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in the 2015 U14 Pan American Championship, leading in ERA and wins and being named the All-Star right-handed pitcher; he was timed at 92 mph. He participated in the MLB Elite Camp in Brazil in 2016. In the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, he was Brazil's youngest player, four years younger than the next-youngest hurler, Leonardo Oliveira. He debuted in their opener against Pakistan, relieving Jean Tome in the 6th with a 6-0 lead, one out and none on. He allowed a double to Faqir Hussain, retired Muhammad Sumair Zawar on a liner, walked Arsalan Jamashaid and got Jawad Ali on a grounder. Edilson Batista took over in the 7th.`

The Toronto Blue Jays gave him a signing bonus of $1.4 million to sign him as an international free agent on July 2, 2017, when he was just 16. He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League. In 11 starts, he went 4-3, 2.88 with 64 strikeouts in 50 innings to clearly place himself among the top prospects in the organization. However, injuries limited him to just 8 games and 37 2/3 innings in 2019; he was off to a good start with the Lansing Lugnuts, with an ERA of 2.41 in 7 starts, when he got hurt. He then missed all of 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic shut down the minors, although it's not clear that he would have been able to pitch anyway given his existing injury. In 2021, he pitched just 3 innings in 2 games at the lowest rung of the Jays' system, with the FCL Blue Jays.

Sources

• Brazilian Baseball Confederation
• World Baseball Classic

Further Reading

• Jesse Sanchez: "17-year-old Brazilian on path to being Jays' ace: Right-hander Pardinho, 17, excelling in first year of pro ball", mlb.com, August 28, 2018. [1]