February 13, 2013
Personally, seeing my boys -- the New York Yankees -- begin Spring Training, gives me the most content feeling. Watching the Yankees again feels like getting home, after being away from home for three months. Not just Yankees, all baseball teams. So good to see baseball coming back.
But this year going into spring, there's some concern in the Yankee fan world. Some are worried about age...some say the offense...or lack of lost power. Me: I'm mostly worried about the pitching staff.
And when I think about the Yankees 2013 pitching rotation, and what it needs to happen in order to be effective, is Michael Pineda.
Pineda -- coming off Tommy John surgery in the offseason -- is an unknown whether he'll start the early season or mid. But him throwing off mound yesterday, should be a good sign. Though, best case scenario he starts in July.
So whenever Pineda appears on the mound this season, I expect him to be that pleasant surprise and blows the door open for the Yankees in the middle of the season. He's gonna be the one that takes the Yankees' rotation and team to the next level.
Fans, analyst haven't really payed attention to Pineda. This is a guy who can come into the rotation in July, win 10-11 games and be the number.2 pitcher, or the game two starter in a playoff series. We all know the potential he has to be a dominating pitcher.
From what we know he could be the next, right-handed, Randy Johnson.
The Yankees rotation needs Pineda to be great; so 'great', he has to move on front of Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte as the two slot in the rotation behind C.C Sabathia. Yankees can't count on a 38-year old Kuroda and a 40-year old Pettitte for the second straight year.
Even though I still think Kuroda will be fine -- he'll win his 14-games and keep us in the game. Though take to acception: he won't be here forever. This could very well be Kuroda's last year in baseball ... He could retire.
With Pettitte, it's almost lock he'll get injured during the season. I'd be shocked if he's healthy throughout the season. Every year he has these 15-30 day D.L stints. Especially when he pitched in only 12 games in the last two years.
Pineda is the Yankees future. And if healthy this season, he can be great. Take to note, teams have hardly gotten to recognize his stuff. Pineda pitched one full season, 2011, for the Seattle Mariners -- that's already a longtime ago, now. Having hitters to adjust to his height and downhill motion will be difficult. With his and Sabathia's height/wingspan, they can be tough to deal with for opposing teams in a short series.
What us Yankee fans don't want to see, or hear, as Pineda begins to progress: is a setback. You don't want to hear news about Pineda having a setback while training. Because one setback, could mean 'never-coming-back'.
