- Height: 6-7
- Weight: 260
- Bats: R
- Throws: R
- Born: Jan 18, 1989 – Yaguate, Dominican Republic
- College: None
- Draft: None
Pineda was signed as a 16 year old out of the Dominican Republic by the Seattle Mariners, and has already developed into an All Star caliber pitcher. In last year’s All Star game he had American League fans and team mates drooling, as he had over powered and dominated the National League hitters he faced in a much too short of an appearance. The big right hander has just as big of a fastball (mid to upper 90’s with plenty of movement), an improving slider and change up.
Pineda’s development has smoothed out some of the violent movements that he h
ad in his delivery when he was younger. His mechanics now allow him to have more durability as a starting pitcher and is projected to be able to eat more innings this season. I’ve been impressed with Pineda’s ability to maximize his leg drive in his delivery. This means his back leg is fully extended before he turns and rotates to throw. Using his legs in his delivery in this manner will allow him to be pumping out power pitches deep into his outings. As far as his “fall away” follow through is concerned, it resembles a cross between C.C. Sabathia and Bob Gibson. He doesn’t end up in the best fielding position. Also, I used those two pitchers on purpose because Pineda has that kind of career potential. You just gotta hope henever gets nailed by a line drive back through the middle.
