Yankees Are Banking On Oft-Injured Pineda Finally Realizing Ace Potential
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- He may be ready to become the man.
At least that's what the Yankees are hoping is Michael Pineda's new mindset.
After missing the previous two seasons due to a shoulder injury, Pineda showed signs of brilliance last season, when he was actually on the mound. A 10-game suspension for having pine tar on his neck was followed by a long stint on the sidelines due to a back problem.
But when Pineda actually took the ball, he showed everyone his stuff is flat nasty, pitching to a 1.89 ERA in 13 starts. The 26-year-old right-hander had a stellar 0.83 WHIP and opponents hit just .200 against him.
His fastball-slider combination routinely touches 95 mph and when mixed with his off-speed stuff makes him very difficult to navigate.
"I think you can see the ability there, definitely. I was pretty excited what I saw today,'' manager Joe Girardi told the New York Post on Sunday after Pineda threw batting practice at the Yankees' training complex in Tampa, Florida. "You get excited when you think about sending him out there every day and getting 30 to 32 starts and what he can possibly do for your team.
"The three pitches he's got, his command was outstanding and the movement was great,'' Girardi added. "His slider was good and his changeup was good. He threw a ton of strikes. He is a strike thrower. You look at a lot of his games last year and there isn't a high pitch count. He is very efficient and that is great.''
The Yankees are going to need Pineda to be the real deal this season because they have question marks all over their rotation.
Though he says he's healthy, ace Masahiro Tanaka still has a slight tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament, meaning its possible he could have Tommy John surgery at some point going forward.
Projected No. 3 starter CC Sabathia is coming off a brutal knee injury that limited him to just eight starts last season. The 34-year-old left-hander plans to wear a brace this season as he tries to rediscover the velocity that abandoned him back in 2013.
The Yankees' Nos. 4 and 5 starters at this point consist of hard-throwing righty project Nathan Eovaldi and a battle between converted reliever Adam Warren and journeyman left-hander Chris Capuano, though it's no guarantee that either will be in the rotation once the spring turns into summer.
So it's imperative a healthy Pineda finally assume the role the Yankees' envisioned back in January 2012 when they acquired him from the Seattle Mariners.
"I want to be healthy all season and every five days put my team in position to win the game,'' Pineda said.
When asked about becoming the team's ace, Pineda said, "I feel great but I don't focus on that. I am focused on pitching this season every five days.''
The Yankees will definitely sign up for that -- at least initially.
