New York Yankees Michael Pineda Dominates Spring Training Start
New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda dominated the Philadelphia Phillies in his last Spring Training start.
The New York Yankees have had a lot to be excited about this spring. The young guns have looked good and the Yankees have received strong performances from players fighting for a spot on the roster.
One area that people have been keeping tabs on is the starting rotation. The Yankees starting pitching has some depth, with seven possible options. But, essentially every person comes with some question marks, whether it be health related or performance on the field.
One player that is as frustrating as anyone in terms of untapped potential is Michael Pineda. Pineda has flashed ace stuff in the past but has been unable to put it all together. Pineda seems to lack some mental strength at times, as implosion innings have become too normal of a thing.
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Pineda is an X-Factor for the Yankees this season. If he can put everything together, the Yankees will have a legitimate option behind Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation. Pineda looked to have put everything together, at least for one afternoon, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Yes, it was only Spring Training. There is only so much that can be taken from the games. Stats do not usually matter, but how a player performs, especially one with the capabilities of Pineda, is worth paying attention to. On Wednesday, Pineda showed that ace stuff.
Pineda faced off with a Phillies lineup that had plenty of their projected everyday players for the regular season. It did not stop Pineda, who fired off an outstanding performance.
Pineda pitched five innings, facing the minimum of 15 batters. He did not allow a base runner as he had everything working. He struck out eight Phillies in his five innings of work, as only two balls left the infield against him.
That performance continued what has been a strong Spring Training performance for Pineda. In his three starts, Pineda has pitched 10 innings with a 1.80 ERA and 0.40 WHIP. He has a 2-0 record and 14 strikeouts as well.
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That is exactly what the Yankees were hoping to get from Pineda this season. While it is great to see during tuneups in Spring Training, the Yankees are hoping he can carry the momentum into the regular season for when the games begin counting.