Reply With QuotePineda was throwing in the mid-90's the other day.
Six to Five: Pineda odd man out
I think Pineda is going to start the season at AAA.
They'll want to baby him a bit since he seemed to tire in the second half last year. The talk about a dip in his velocity suggests they want him to build strength.
If this is the case it may be the best solution: the Yanks don't need to rush him with five strong starters on line and Andy a possibility for May, having Pineda working on his fastball and his change up in Scranton sounds smart.
Pineda was throwing in the mid-90's the other day.
@hbcat:
Have you heard something?
Pineda threw big his last outing on Sunday. Fastball hit 94, and he said he had more. He should get one more start. Good spring overall.
Nova is the one with a bad spring, but I haven't seen him pitch so I'm not sure why his ERA is 6.86 and he's given up 5 homers. He has 14 SO and only 1 BB. Maybe that's the problem - too much of the plate, either swing and miss or hit hard.
I see downside in putting Pineda in AAA if he looks good, just to save his arm. No one wants to go back down after a season in the majors, especially if there's no performance reason. We don't want another JOBA.
No, Zippy, I don't have any special info. I was just thinking this through after reading this article: "Decision near, Girardi has eye on starters"
I just don't see a better alternative. Nova is farther along than Pineda and ought not to go to AAA based on a poor spring. His 2011 earned him a spot, unless they think something is truly wrong with him.
Hughes could go to the pen, but he isn't needed there and it's time for him to be a full-time starter and get on with his career. His 2010 earned him a second chance.
They might experiment with Garcia in the pen, but he has 327 ML appearances on his resume and 325 of those are as a starter. Why toy with a 35 year old pro? He might be traded, but unless they get a good deal for him, he's already a perfect back-of-the-rotation guy. Why mess around?
Pineda topped out at 94mph a few days ago, but early last season he was hitting 98. He's been in the high 80s/low90s on average. I think the velocity issue is over-hyped when examined in isolation -- his command is great and he's effective -- but given the other issues, the biggest being what to do with six starters for five spots, a little issue gains significance.
Also, I think they are worried that Pineda may have become a tad complacent with his early success. He wasn't in top shape when he arrived in camp, as you noted. No one wants to be sent down to the minors but maybe a return trip would underscore some things for Michael.
Uh-oh
Pineda had a terrible start on Friday, but worse still was his report of pain in his pitching shoulder.
Also, there have been more comments about his poor conditioning and weight --
The concern in the home clubhouse was already such that one veteran player speculated on Thursday that Pineda would be kept in extended spring training here in Tampa.
“He’s not ready,’’ the player said.
More than one veteran had also wondered privately how Pineda could have shown up for camp significantly overweight, knowing the scrutiny that would be awaiting him as the ballclub’s most celebrated acquisition of the winter.“
Obviously he had no idea what it’s all about here,’’ one player said. “A couple of the guys have talked to him, let him know the way things are done around here.’’
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...#ixzz1qhyKVv7L
Last edited by hbcat; March 31st, 2012 at 11:29 AM.
Sending Cervelli to Triple A is stupid. They should just trade him if they don't want/need him. And who doesn't need a clutch-hitting back up?
The way it was explained to me:
Romine is the #3 catcher. He would be in AAA in any case, and be called up as the backup catcher if either #1 or #2 get injured. But Romine has a bad back and is unavailable at the moment.
The ideal situation would have been to find a backup catcher to replace Romine, but I guess that's not so easy. Teams with catchers in AAA are reluctant to give them up cheaply; everybody is looking for a catching prospect.
So that leaves ML roster catchers. Stewart was available for a cheap trade, but there are no options left for him; he can't be sent to AAA without exposure to waivers. Cervelli, on the under hand, can be sent down without exposure.
Since a team can't carry 3 catchers, it's a roster move. Bad luck for Cervelli.
I read that as well, but I think rather than sending Cervelli down they ought to have gone with just the two guys left on the active roster. In an emergency Sanchez might have been brought up to catch a game or two until whoever is injured returns or until a deal could bring someone like Stewart up. Stewart is a purely defensive catcher and cannot hit worth a lick. This arrangement deletes Cervelli's timely hitting.
I think this is another case of over-managing, but by someone in the front office and not Giaradi this time.
Sending Cervelli down after all his work and time in Majors, without good cause, is bad for him and for the team. It would have been better to have traded him.
If they traded him they would have been down to two catchers (organizationally) as I do not think they believe in Sanchez. This gives them some insurance. I hear you though, it sucks for Cervelli
Indeed it wouldn't be smart to trade Cervelli. I guess what I am saying is that I wish Cashman et al would have behaved as if C were out of minor league options. They could have worked it out from there. Surely there are a half dozen eager pro ball players who would have been grateful with a minor league contract from the Yankees. That would have addressed the problem without the loss of Cervelli for however long it takes for Romine to recover from his back problems.
Chris Stewart really cannot hit:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...tewach01.shtml
Cervelli is an exciting player and fun to watch.
Too young (19) to be in the picture yet. Will be at A ball Charleston this year.Originally Posted by eddhead
It's not so much what the player would want, but what the team would want to let him go. Turn it around. Would the Yankees let Romine leave without asking for someone comparable in return?
A lot of players would be happy to be in Cervelli's situation. If the Yankees solved the problem by trading for a proven backup catcher, Cervelli could have been stuck in AAA all season. But this is a temporary situation. Nova was sent down last year under similar circumstances.
And we're overlooking that Scranton-Wilkes Barre is a real team, where those pitching prospects are. The team needs a good catcher.
1) ^ You guys are being reasonable, but I still don't like it.
2) I don't understand the love affair the Yankees have with Nunez. He can hit, but needs to develop his glove in the minors.
3) I miss Mike Stanton.
Maybe we're waiting for a return of a Phil Hughes who was never there. His 18 wins from 2010 look impressive, but he won a number of those games via the Yanks' prodigious offense. He finished 2010 with a 4.19 ERA, but a lot of that came in April and May. The last four months of that season were in the average to mediocre range:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...=p#month_extra
Overall 2010 was very good for a young pitcher, but you want him to build on that kind of season and so far he has not.
Maybe his first 10 starts of that season were fluky. Maybe opposing teams figured him out after that and he hasn't counter-adjusted. Whatever the reason, Hughes may be working himself into a mid-relief role on this team.
With Pineda and Pettite getting ready, and now Phelps knocking on the door, unless there is an injury, Hughes will soon be int the bullpen.
^ That's where he had the most success. The bullpen is really Hughes' calling. Remember how effective he was in 2009?
The sooner the Yankees realize that, the better he and they would be.
David Phelps just won't be denied. The man's on a mission.
^
If that should happen, it would be great if the Giants come calling.
Giants lost their closer to what is probably season-ending (possibly career ending) surgery. Their offense isn't high-powered, and they need a good bullpen. Especially with the Dodgers off to a fast start. Options for them at this point in the season are limited. They could probably pry someone loose from a weak team, but the players(s) demanded in return might be prohibitive.
It seems to me that the Yankees would part company with Soriano in exchange for some prospects. Soriano doesn't seem happy in a subordinate role, and moving him would create a big spot for Hughes. Soriano would get back to the role he had at TB, and the Giants would get a proven closer.
The big fly in this cocktail is $10 million. I doubt the Giants would pick up his contract, but you never know.
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