TwitterProblems Real And Imagined
21 Mar 2012
Stop me if you have heard this, but there is a problem with Michael Pineda’s velocity. Apparently, his fastball “only” went 94-mph last night. Jon Heyman is ready to call the trade a one-sided win for the Mariners.
Perhaps we could all take a deep breath and recognize that Pineda is building up arm strength? Perhaps we could recognize that he is trying to develop a change up and may not be ratcheting up the fastball yet? Perhaps we could cool it on the Phil Hughes in 2011 comparisons because Hughes wasn’t throwing anywhere near 92 even last spring? Perhaps I ask for too much?
What I do find interesting is that while the Yankees seem to entertain these questions, they vehemently deny any problems when questioned about Raul Ibanez’s struggles this spring. I have read more than once that he will find his stroke and that since the AB’s are against both lefties and righties, the Yankees are not worried about his 2-for-34 start. The thing is, 24 of those AB’s have come against righties, the guys Ibanez is supposed to hit and he has only one hit against them. 1-for-24 is a pretty big slump and while he does have time to fight through it it’s worth remembering that two former Yankee leftfielders are still unemployed.
We are now just over two weeks away from the start of the season. Things will really start to solidify in the next week as the Yankees will cut their squad down to 30 or so players. It’s hard to see any additional roster surprises, but as the Yankees showed last week, you just never know.
Mar 21, 2012 @ 22:40:17
Come on, Peter. It’s been three whole months since the trade was consummated. Three!. It’s way past time to pass judgment on this trade. Way, way past. I mean gosh, who has time to wait for a few years to pass to properly assess the trade? It takes too darn long! Let’s have at it now and move on to the next insanely premature assessment.
Mar 22, 2012 @ 06:56:17
writers/bloggers/tv/espn , everybody is looking for something to say this time of year. blah blah blah
Mar 22, 2012 @ 07:24:19
Peter,
Here’s a paraphrased replay of a conversation I have heard on more than a few occasions. “Coach, I wanna blow it past this guy, it’s not a problem that if I leave it belt high and dead center, they’ll never catch up to it” (this is the known as the Farnsworth School of Pitching).
“Kid, if you could throw it exactly where you want it and ‘only’ hit 92, or you could put a slight break in the ball and still control it, or you could sometimes drop the velocity with the same throwing motion, you’d be an ace. Let go of the need for speed, this is the bigs and hitters in the bigs love fastballs”.
My views on Pineda are that he takes direction really well; when he adjusts, hitters swing and miss a heck of a lot and, like Corey mentioned, Pineda’s motion looks, to me also, like a surgeon’s best friend. Either that or this guy is going to fall off the mound more than few times a game. His throwing motion is about as erratic and ugly as Mo’s is consistent and silky smooth. Thanks for spoiling us Mo.
Net: I think Pineda’s smart enough to listen and adjust – so he’s got tremendous upside and I don’t care that his velocity is not where the pundits think it “should” be.
And yep Peter – Ibanez could be the second coming of Randy Winn. Like Winn, his presence and perfomance will be defended until the day (in May?) when he is let go with the simple words, “it wasn’t working out and we decided to go in a different direction”. I’d love to be wrong about this, I really would.
Mar 22, 2012 @ 08:48:03
Hey Pineda is going to be a good pitcher and hopefully stays healthy. He needs work and probably some time in the minors. And he’s probably not going to be a superstar.
I haven’t seen Banuelos yet, and maybe the same conclusion goes for him. We all want the next Sandy Koufax to materialize, but reality does not work like that.
I’m optimistic about the Yankees because they have really stockpiled a lot of of promising looking young pitchers. The Yankees will probably buy the next Sandy Koufax if he ever emerges. These young guys give them the depth and fiscal flexibility that the team needs to compete in the future.
Re Ibanez: What I don’t understand is that the reason they picked him over Damon and Matsui is because of his defense. Well, let me tell you: I’m a better outfielder than this guy, and defense is not something that gets any better as the season goes along.
Mar 22, 2012 @ 09:18:10
Greg
I thought he would have won the Cy Young by now. Not sure what his problem is.
Mar 22, 2012 @ 09:18:33
BL
You mean “other” bloggers, right?
Mar 22, 2012 @ 09:20:56
Mitchell
I think you are right. One thing I noticed the other night was he was willing to throw the change in tight spots. Had one sent over the wall as a result, but he kept trying it out. That’s a great sign in my mind because fastball/slider/change is much more effective than just fastball/slider.
I think the Winn comparison is a good one- unfortunately.
Mar 22, 2012 @ 09:25:03
Corey
I totally agree about the young arms. Some will blossom, others will crash and burn. But, I think a few have a chance to be pretty good.
And your scouting report on Ibanez matches up with my memory from watching him last season. Sure, you can put him in the outfield as a last resort, but couldn’t you say the same thing about Damon?
Mar 22, 2012 @ 11:13:46
Peter – after Pineda made that adjustment, he was throwing the ball really well.
And yeah, you certainly could put Damon in the OF, same as Winn – only difference being that Winn can reach the cutoff man while Damon would roll the ball back in.
Mar 22, 2012 @ 17:38:55
Mitchell
Different topic, have you seen the most recent “Real Sports” on HBO? One of the profiles is Stevie Delabar, a guy who got a cup of coffee pitching for the Mariners last year after having 9 screws and a plate put in his elbow.
It details a program he used which was developed by Tom House that got him about 3-4 more on his fastball than he had before the surgery. I think you might enjoy it.
Mar 23, 2012 @ 06:40:39
“BL
You mean “other” bloggers, right?”
of course I did
Mar 23, 2012 @ 08:22:27
I will check that out Peter. Thanks !
Mar 23, 2012 @ 15:26:45
with Joba now out indefinitely they need someone who can BRING IT.
Just kidding, but seriously if you haven’t seen the news : http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7727304/2012-spring-training-new-york-yankees-joba-chamberlain-suffers-severe-field-ankle-dislocation
Mar 23, 2012 @ 19:50:20
Yikes, I really feel bad for Joba. I seriously wonder if we will ever see him on a mound again – my understanding is that this is a debilitating injury, sometimes permanently. Ugh.
Imagine what his son had to experience when this happened.
Mar 23, 2012 @ 20:38:20
how old is the son?
Mar 23, 2012 @ 22:40:05
I believe his son is 4 or 5. I can only hope someone took him to a place where he wouldn’t see the full extent of it, because the details are really horrific.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yankees-joba-chamberlain-suffers-significant-injury-ankle-article-1.1049622
And yeah Mitchell, it sounds like he may never pitch again. Awful, awful story.