It is almost as if the cosmos destined that Danny Pinero play baseball at the University of Virginia.

The UVa staff became aware of the 6’6” shortstop prospect during one of the Ontario Blue Jays’ annual exhibition trips through Charlottesville. Those games are scheduled as competition to provide out-of-season tests for the Cavaliers.

Ontario coach Dan Bleiwas knows a little about evaluating baseball talent having served as a scouting supervisor for the San Diego Padres, an associate scout with the Atlanta Braves organization, and currently as a scout for the Cincinnati Reds organization. So even though college coaches may have been unaware of Pinero – only three universities (Dartmouth, Virginia Tech and UVa) recruited him – scouts like Bleiwas knew about Pinero.

With the 2013 MLB Draft approaching, he wanted to make a good impression on the trip to Virginia. When the Blue Jays came through town, however, Pinero caught the Hoos’ attention as well.

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