When it comes to the 2016 season, there are several New York Yankees who can be considered keys to the season, but perhaps there is none as important as Michael Pineda. The 26-year-old was extremely inconsistent last season and the Yankees will need him to be closer to the pitcher he showed in 2014 than the one he was last season.
Last season C.C. Sabathia led the Yankees in innings pitched with 167.1. Pineda was second with 160.2 innings pitched but he also sported a 4.37 ERA and allowed 176 hits. There were high hopes for Pineda entering the 2015 season as he was coming off of a season that saw him accumulate a 1.89 ERA along with a 0.83 WHIP but he made only 13 starts. Last season he upped that to 27 starts but still dealt with injuries.
The Yankees are counting on Pineda to make significant contributions to the rotation. His health has been a major hurdle for him as he missed all of 2012 and 2013 to injury. He did make progress last season but the Yankees will need him to come closer to 200 innings while using his new changeup more efficiently and just be more consistent.
The Yankees’ rotation has question marks in every slot. Masahiro Tanaka has health concerns, especially his elbow which may or may not be a ticking time bomb. Ivan Nova has been inconsistent but there are still concerns as he comes back from Tommy John surgery. Nathan Eovaldi showed a lot but he also got hurt last season and is also coming off of his best season and the team has to wonder if he can build off of last year’s performance. When it comes to Sabathia anything the Yankees get is icing on the proverbial cake. Luis Severino might be the Yankees’ best pitcher with all things considered, but he doesn’t even have 20 major league starts under his belt, so he can’t be depended upon.
Pineda came to the Yankees with high hopes. He was coming off a 2011 season with the Seattle Mariners that saw him named to the All-Star game as a rookie. He finished that season with 28 starts, a 3.74 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 173 strikeouts in 171 innings. The Yankees need Pineda to resemble that pitcher rather than the one that took the mound last season.
It is known what Tanaka is when he is healthy. He is the ace. Nobody is asking Pineda to be an ace, but the Yankees do need him to be a frontline starter, a more-than-reliable No. 2-type pitcher who can throw around 200 quality innings. The question is whether or not Pineda can stay healthy to do that. If the Yankees have World Series hopes, and they say they do, they will need Pineda to finally take a step forward this year.
