Yoyner Fajardo has provided spark at the top of the Altoona lineup
Yoyner Fajardo has provided spark at the top of the Altoona lineup
After rejoining organization, Fajardo has provided a spark to a struggling offense
The Pittsburgh Pirates added a familiar face back into the organization, and when it comes to depth players, he’s certainly making his mark.
Playing for Double-A Altoona, Yoyner Fajardo has been a welcome addition to the lineup. He was originally an international free agent signed by the Pirates but was later picked up by the Twins in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft.
After playing the 2023 and first part of 2024 in the Twins organization, he was traded back to the Pirates for cash.
Despite playing at Triple-A with the Twins, he went to Double-A and immediately became a spark plug at the top of the order.
Fajardo has spent most of his time with Altoona in the lead-off spot, where he is batting over .300. He’s been a hitting machine since rejoining the organization, picking up hits in 23 of 33 games.
In that time, he’s hit .314/.414/.364 with six doubles and almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (25). The walk rate overall has been impressive (14.1%), while the strikeouts have remained under control (17.7%).
Of those 33 games, he’s picked up multiple hits in 10 of them. Despite playing far less than other players, he’s already second in stolen bases (12) and fifth in walks.
The team's success has also been there, as the Curve had a 16-36 record when he joined them and is now 39-53. That’s a 23-17 record since Fajardo joined the team.
Fajardo has always been a solid hitter in his minor-league career, and he’s providing a spark at the top of a lineup that needed one after a bad start to the season.
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Double Yoy...ner
I seem to remember that he played a decent 2nd base for Greensboro when I saw him, of course I could be confusing him with someone else.