“Today is a big day for me,” said Michael Pineda shortly after manager Joe Girardi made the announcement he’d be the team’s fifth starter. The 25 year old is ready to finally throw his first regular season pitch in pinstripes after two years on the shelf with a major shoulder injury. You can say today is a big day for the entire organization.
The name of the game is pitching, and if you can stockpile young, talented, cheap pitching – your team has a chance of winning for a very long time. That was the idea behind the trade for Pineda, who was shipped over to the Bronx from Seattle with Jose Campos in exchange for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. Pineda was just coming off an all-star campaign in which he went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 171 innings as a 22 year old. Yankee scouts believed Montero’s future wasn’t at catcher, and with their wealth of catching prospects, felt they could part ways with him.
After a serious shoulder injury sidelined Pineda for all of 2012, and Montero went on to have a decent rookie season, many fans were starting to tip the scales in favor of Seattle, who seemed to get the better deal. Flash forward two years later, Montero is overweight and has a PED suspension on his resumé, and Pineda is looking like his old self. He beat out rotation hopefuls David Phelps and Adam Warren by throwing to a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings pitched, while racking up 16 strikeouts and only allowing 14 hits and ONE walk.
Although his fastball’s been mostly around 92-93 mph, Pineda’s been able to reach back and get it up to 94-95 As the regular season progresses, his velocity is expected to increase a little. However, it’s Pineda’s nasty slider that sets him apart from other pitchers. Also, his 6’7″ 260 pound frame makes him an intimidating presence on the mound.
The organization isn’t out of the woods yet with regards to Pineda’s health because they still need to see how he responds to an increased workload. Shoulder surgeries can sometimes be death sentences for pitchers; they’re not as perfected as Tommy John surgeries. However, the prospect of having Pineda, Masahiro Tanaka and Ivan Nova under team control for a long time is very exciting.
After two years of second guesses, rehab starts and speculation, Pineda is poised to be the guy the Yankees thought they were getting in 2012. With Montero’s motivation and future in question in the pacific northwest, the Yankees and their fans are happy Pineda is finally donning pinstripes.
Girardi confirms Pineda is fifth starter
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 25, 2014
