Pineda's First Start Highlights The Need To Develop His Changeup

(Courtesy of the AP)

For reasons related to my post-UConn victory celebration last night, I was unable to recap yesterday's game.  The game marked the second straight Yankee debut for a highly-touted young pitcher, only this time it was a player coming back from injury rather than pitching in his first MLB game.  Michael Pineda was outstanding yesterday, allowing a single run in 6 innings of work, walking nobody, and striking out 5.  He threw 83 pitches, 58 for strikes, and his stuff looked very good.  His fastball was lively and averaged 94 MPH and his slider was very sharp, drawing 7 swings and misses.  He even mixed some cutters in.

If there's one negative to take away from Pineda's start yesterday, it was the lack of changeup usage and the problems it caused him against left-handed hitters.  He faced lefty swingers 12 times and they were responsible for 4 of the 5 hits he gave up, including 2 hard-hit doubles and an RBI single.  The development of Pineda's changeup was supposed to be what helped him against lefties, but there wasn't much sign of it yesterday.  He only threw a change once.

We had heard that Pineda was working on his changeup during his MiL rehab starts and bullpen sessions last year, and I thought I read somewhere that it looked better early in spring camp.  If yesterday's start was any indication, however, he still has a long way to go to make it a useful pitch for himself.  Hopefully he starts to work it in more and gets more comfortable with it.  He's going to need it to keep lefty hitters honest.

It's Tanaka Time

(Courtesy of the AP)

The initial Tanaka Watch was a success.  Tanaka Watch 2014 was equally successful.  Since arriving at Spring Training the anticipation has only grown for his officially official MLB debut, and based on what we've already seen it's a safe bet to assume that the excitement isn't going to die down anytime soon.

And now tonight, after 5 ST games, 21.0 ST innings pitched, and 26 ST strikeouts, Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound and make his first meaningful start as a New York Yankee.  It's a big night tonight anyway you look at it, and based on his reputation for pitching his best when the lights are the brightest, we could be in for a show.

Go get 'em tonight, Ma-kun.  We're all cheering for you.

That'll Do, Ma-kun. That'll Do

(Courtesy of Kim Klement/ USA Today Sports)

It was the most hyped Yankee debut in some time, and Masahiro Tanaka didn't disappoint.  Entering after CC and Hirok each threw 2 scoreless innings, Tanaka worked a scoreless 5th and 6th.  He allowed a pair of singles, didn't walk anybody, and struck out 3, throwing 31 pitches and hitting 93-94 on the gun with his 4-seamer.  According to some of the beat guys, he was also throwing sliders, curveballs, changeup, and his famed splitter.

Hard to ask for anything better than that.  He looked good, his stuff and command were there, and he came through the outing healthy.  Now it's time to start get excited about his next appearance.

Impressive Debut For Cesar Cabral Yesterday

September roster expansions means guys getting first looks in the Majors and Joe used garbage time yesterday to get a few players their first taste Major League action.  The most notable of MLB debuts was that of Cesar Cabral.  The 2012 Rule 5 pick worked a scoreless inning in the top of the 8th, allowing 1 base hit and striking out 2 on 13 pitches.

It wasn't exactly the heart of the order, if there even is one of those in the White Sox lineup these days, but Cabral looked very good in his short appearance.  Of those 13 pitches, 11 of them were strikes and 4 of those strikes were swinging.  Both of his strikeouts were against the left-handed hitters, and Cabral displayed a fastball-slider-splitter trio of pitches that he could get over the plate for called strikes and then throw down in the zone to get swings and misses.  As far as 1-inning appearances go, it was as impressive a small sample debut as you could ask for.

Cabral looked like a favorite for a bullpen job coming out of spring camp in 2012 before his elbow fracture derailed his momentum.  The Yankees keeping him around this season while he rehabbed shows how highly they think of him, and with Boone Logan set to hit the free agent market after this season Cabral could work his way into the leading contender spot to take over that role.  Expect to see a lot more of Cabral this month after what he did yesterday.

Expectations For Zoilo In A Mixed Bag Season Of Rookies

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The Year of The Rookie continued yesterday when the Yankees recalled Adam Warren to replace Teix on the active roster and reportedly prepared to call up Zoilo Almonte as the latest attempted shake up/boost/slight upgrade/marginal improvement/whatever to the scuffling lineup.  While a corresponding roster move to make room for Zoilo hasn't been announced yet - smart money would be on Chris Bootcheck - chances are high that we'll see him in the lineup either today or tonight as the Yanks play a doubleheader without the benefit of the 26th man.

A Quick Refresher On Adam Warren

(Just chillin'.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Adam Warren will make his Major League debut tonight, and he's got some big shoes (and pants) to fill in CC Sabathia's rotation spot.  He's the 3rd of the previously-vaunted 5-man Triple-A staff to make an appearance in the show this year, and it wouldn't be unfair to say that his opportunity is the best one out of the 3.  With Sabathia on the shelf for a few weeks and Andy for a few months, Warren has a real chance to become a fixture in the rotation for the foreseeable future.  I had Warren ranked as my #7 prospect in the Yankee system in the inaugural AB4AR Top 30 Prospects list last December, but with a lot of time passing since then, it's probably good to reacquaint ourselves with him.

Hey, Did You Hear About Michael Pineda Throwing a CHANGEUP Yesterday?!?!

(Here it comes.  The heater.  I dare ya.  Courtesy of The AP)

Seriously, a changeup??  What is that?  Who's even heard of a pitch like that?  Pineda must be some kind of mystical wizard out there on the mound to be able to throw a pitch like that because EVERYBODY was talking about it. 

“I think he’ll be fearless with it." - Larry Rothschild

"I’m not surprised because when I caught him in the pen, he had a good idea of it." - Russell Martin

“You like that attitude. You want a guy that’s willing to work at something and try to get better ... " - Joe Girardi

In all seriousness, yesterday was about as good a meaningless Spring Training debut as you could hope for from Pineda.  His fastball was mostly low-90s, not quite up to its usual heat level, but he threw it for strikes and got swings and misses with it.  He also threw his slider some, and he did throw the changeup a few times, getting a strikeout of Shane Victorino on it and getting another out with it.  Spring Training is the time to work on stuff and Pineda has been doing just that.  The more he throws the change and works it into a usable pitch, the more dangerous he's going to be once the regular season starts.

Quotes courtesy of Chad at LoHud