Any idea when Michael Pineda gets the call?

[GreenFuture 5 7]

Been following this kid for a bit and he has tremendous stuff do you think he gets the call up this year? 100mph fastball good control great slider he looks to be a cant miss prospect. I hope he gets the call up this year cause thats the only way i'll be able to add him in my dynasty league any thoughts will it just be a septemeber call up? or possibly eariler.
_________________

Props to MC

[slicknick33]

Im not sure either, but I also would be very excited to see him get 5-10 starts in the bigs before the end of the season.
_________________

[chessmyantidrug]

Wait, what? Pineda added about 8mph to his fastball in the last year? And every scouting report I have read on the kid says his breaking ball needs work. I would temper my expectations on him a little bit. Actually, a lot of bit.
_________________
RIP BRiles88 aka Stanley DeWalt
09 September 2006

[GreenFuture 5 7]

The fastball can be atributed to a healthy arm he had arm problems as your probally know in '09 so having a healthy arm can lead to that jump in velocity i dont disagree with the fact that he still needs time but hes been dominating and i go by the numbers hes getting about 9.1 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 im not about to complain about that. Ive heard he has a good feel for his changeup and the slider need some work but has aa good cutter and fastball. Is there a chance he could be a stud? Sure is there a better chance he isnt? Ya probally but im fine with taking the chance when he does come up my team could use any luck.
_________________

Props to MC

[slicknick33]

From Keith Law:

" Michael Pineda, SP, Seattle Mariners: With Cliff Lee being dealt, Pineda is a second-half sleeper. It's just a matter of when the Mariners will call him up from Triple-A. Pineda has struck out 124 and walked 27 in 117 innings this year between Double- and Triple-A, with a combined 2.62 ERA. He has the plus stuff to back up the numbers."


Looks like he is legit, atleast thats what pro scout Keith Law thinks.
_________________

[chessmyantidrug]

I don't think you understand. No one's velocity jumps that much in a year. I would appreciate links to the scouting reports you have read. The latest reports I have seen say his fastball sits in the mid-90s, nothing about touching triple digits. Even still, a starter cannot live on a fastball alone.
_________________
RIP BRiles88 aka Stanley DeWalt
09 September 2006

[slicknick33]

Here is a scouting report from before the season from BA.

Background: Pineda toyed with Midwest League batters in 2008, ranking second in the circuit in ERA (1.95) and opponent average (.216). He picked up right where he left off last season, paying little heed to the tough pitching environments of High Desert and the California League as a whole. Mavericks Stadium didn't undermine him, but his elbow did, as lingering soreness sent him to the disabled list and limited him to 47 innings.

Strengths: Pineda's velocity returned when he pitched in the Cal League playoffs, with his fastball sitting at 91-92 mph and touching 94. It has good armside run, allowing him to tie up righthanders. He works the other side of the plate with an 86-91 mph cutter, and also shows advanced feel for a changeup. The natural movement he imparts on his pitches makes them difficult to square up.

Weaknesses: Pineda's elbow pain is cause for concern. He struggled to hold his velocity into the late innings last year. He'll snap off a true slider in the high 70s on occasion, but when he overthrows, the pitch is more of a cut fastball with short break.

The Future: Having added 60-70 pounds to his frame since signing, Pineda has a strong build suited for the rotation—if his elbow holds up. Not many Mariners farmhands can match his upside, so the organization may opt to challenge Pineda with a ticket to Double-A in 2010.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2010/269394.html

Looks like he has other stuff than just a fastball. My favorite part of the scouting report is the "natural movement on his pitches that makes it hard to square up".

As for your comment that " No one's velocity jumps that much in a year". Im not sure if you read much about Strasburg, but between his freshman and sophmore season at San Diego state his velocity jumped somewhere around 5mph. Thats almost exactly the same amount as Pineda if not more. Im sure there have been many more cases of players velocity jumping 5-7 MPH in a year.
_________________

[chessmyantidrug]

I have read Baseball America's scouting report. In fact, I purchased their prospect handbook. I know what the scouting report says. Strasburg was out of shape and 18 years old as a freshman. We're talking about someone who is a little bit older than that. I'm still tempering my expectations until he proves he can throw his breaking ball with consistency. Now please link us to those scouting reports that touted his triple-digit heat.
_________________
RIP BRiles88 aka Stanley DeWalt
09 September 2006

[slicknick33]

I never once said he has triple digit heat... As far as I know his heater has gone from sitting in the low 90's to the 94-96 range. And dont get me wrong I have never once said he is the next Strasburg either, I just said im excited to watch him pitch.
_________________

[chessmyantidrug]

You know who else was exciting to watch pitch? Kerry Wood. Everything I read about Pineda says he has a plus fastball, good change and developing breaking ball. Nothing about that says he's ready for the majors. And even when he arrives, he probably won't make an immediate impact. Sounds like another Homer Bailey to me.
_________________
RIP BRiles88 aka Stanley DeWalt
09 September 2006

[slicknick33]

Yeah Kerry wood was very exciting to watch! And Homer Bailey is also exciting to watch. Im not sure if you are trying to hate on Pineda for any reason?? Anyways, you said "Everything I read about Pineda says he has a plus fastball, good change and developing breaking ball. Nothing about that says he's ready for the majors." That sounds a lot like he's ready for the majors to me. A lot of pitchers in the majors have less stuff than that.
_________________

[SethBeno]

Pineda has the stuff to succeed right away and I think he will. We'll have to see him face a big league squad before knowing for sure though. On another note, how bout that Jeremy Hellickson kid? I think the Rays would be wise to move Wade Davis into the bullpen for now because I haven't seen that type of polish and quiet confidence since Tommy Hanson debuted last year. He's obviously not Strasburg and he didn't whiff 14 guys with eye-popping stuff but he seemed even more confident and in control.
_________________
2008 Rotokingdom Fantasy Player of the Year
2009 Rotokingdom Fantasy Player of the Year

[chessmyantidrug]

Pineda's fastball is all he has at the moment. If his secondary offerings don't improve, major league hitters will sit on his fastball and eat him alive. Calling a pitch "developing" says it's not that great. He had not pitched in the high minors before this season. It looks like he's a flyball pitcher, something that's not that admirable. Daniel Cabrera had some tremendous stuff and was exciting to watch. I wonder where he is now ...

I'm not trying to hate on Pineda, I'm saying temper your expectations. You guys are trying to turn him into the next Strasburg and he isn't that. Not even close. In fact, he's not even the best pitching prospect in the minors. I would rank guys like Casey Kelly, Tanner Scheppers, Martin Perez, Kyle Drabek, Tyler Matzek, Julio Teheran, and Jarrod Parker ahead of him.
_________________
RIP BRiles88 aka Stanley DeWalt
09 September 2006

[slicknick33]

Go back and read through what I have said. I dont see anything saying that he is the best minor league pitcher, or that he will be great. I just think he has a big upside.

For you to compare him to Daniel Cabrera and then say you are not trying to hate on him sounds a little funny. But anyways, lets just leave it where its at, and watch over the next couple years and see what happens.
_________________

[slicknick33]

Just read another little blurb about Pineda

"Mariners prospect Michael Pineda(notes) needs to get the call. He’s dominated Triple-A hitters, and other than one sloppy outing, he’s looked like a man among boys. His velocity is in to the upper-90s now, and I believe he has a bigger upside than Jeremy Hellickson based on pure stuff."

http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/mlb/news;_ylt=As.P3F4kx4EnQdbuDigVeqy5bZ8u?slug=rs-minors080210

If he has better pure stuff than Hellickson, that means he has more than just a fastball.
_________________