Jesus Montero, Michael Pineda & Is It Safe to Declare a Winner NOW?

Since January 23, 2012 fans of the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners have been discussing a certain trade between the two clubs trying to find, as we fans tend to do, a winner and a loser. At the time Michael Pineda was a top pitching prospect fresh off a strong rookie year in Seattle while Jesus Montero was fresh off making his MLB debut as a September call up in the Bronx. Yankees fans had waited patiently, or rather impatiently at times, for Montero’s arrival and he arrived in a big way in New York hitting his first home run almost immediately so it left a bitter taste in some people’s mouth when he was traded for Pineda on that day in January of 2012. Ever since then the fans have bantered and argued over who the winner is, is it safe to finally declare the Yankees the winner now?

Both players have been suspended with their new teams, Pineda for blatant use of pine tar against the Boston Red Sox and Montero for illegal steroid and PED use, and both players have been injured as well, Pineda’s shoulder that cost him two seasons and Montero’s left knee, but it has been Pineda that has made an impact at the major league level. Both players have reportedly come into spring training camp overweight and out of shape but only one has attempted to attack a scout for offering him an ice cream sandwich on a hot day in the minor leagues, which was Montero. That’s before you factor in WAR which has Pineda at 4.4 and Montero at -0.8.

Montero has not been able to crack a struggling offense desperate for power, especially right-handed power, with any sort of consistency in Seattle while Pineda has become a staple in the New York Yankees starting rotation. Pineda has shown flashes of brilliance and dominance, see the Mother’s Day game against the Baltimore Orioles and all those strikeouts for an example of that, while Montero is looking to platoon, not start, at first base once again for Seattle this season. Montero was traded when he was a catcher optimizing his value, his value as a soft hitting first baseman is little to none in terms of WAR, trade value or projections.

This is not a post to prop up Pineda, he will do that on his own, nor is it a post to dog on Montero, I like Montero and I wish him nothing but the best, but it is a declaration of victory in my eyes for the New York Yankees. Remember, a blog is a place for opinions and this is mine. As Pineda enters his prime he is seemingly getting better and better while Montero is simply just holding on but remember, in some eyes Brian Cashman doesn’t have an earthly clue what he is doing. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox 7/10

Rivalry renewed. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will face off head-to-head tonight in the first of a three game weekend series inside Boston’s Fenway Park. The Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound so be grateful that the game is not on ESPN, I’m not sure I could handle three more hours of “Pine Gate” discussion by John Kruk and Curt Schilling. The Red Sox will counter Pineda with starter Clay Buchholz. The game will be played at 7:15 pm ET and can be seen on the WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV.

• Pineda will be making his 17^th start of the season tonight inside Fenway Park and his fifth against the Boston Red Sox in his career. Pineda has a 2-2 record against Boston with a no-decision in the pine tar game I’m sure we’ll hear all about if we listen to ESPN, MLB Network or the NESN broadcast. Pineda looks to improve on his 8-5 record and 3.79 ERA with a bounce back start tonight in Fenway.

• Buchholz has been the team’s best starter this season, which is not saying much, and has been much better of late, which should worry the Yankees. In his last 10 starts Buchholz has posted a 5-2 record with a 1.99 ERA as Boston continues to try and climb back into the AL East discussion. Buchholz was pitching the last time the Yankees came to Fenway Park and swept the Red Sox and gave up nine earned runs in just 3.1 IP on that Sunday night ESPN broadcast.

The fiercest and most hated rivalry in all of sports has been watered down a bit in recent years with down years for both teams but the rivalry is the rivalry and it is still Yankees vs. Red Sox. The Yankees are in first place in a well-contested American League East while the Boston Red Sox are in last place in the division with only a handful of games separating the two. This is a big series for both teams as a sweep for the Red Sox gets them right back in the thick of things while a Yankees sweep may be the final nail in the coffin in Boston’s season. I may be greedy but I’m not ridiculous, I’ll take a series victory and that series victory begins tonight. Go Yankees!

The Daily Dozen - April 13th Edition

The Daily Dozen - April 13, 2015 Edition

Twelve Takeaways from Tonight's Game

1. There were A LOT of empty seats in Baltimore.  Was it cold or something?  Maybe the Baltimore Bullets were playing a game to get into the NBA playoffs?  Who knows...it seems like many of the televised games I have seen thus far this season have had people wearing seat-colored clothing.

2. Chris Young gets the Yankees started.  Young got his 2nd home run of the year in the 2nd and was 2 for 4 bringing his 2015 average to .357 leading all Yankees.  He also leads the Yanks with an OPS of 1.295.  Not bad for the 4th or 5th Outfielder!  According to the NY Post he also tracked down the woman who collected Brian McCann's 200th HR and negotiated a deal.

"Put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

3. Manny Machado had 51 Doubles in 2013.  He gets his first of 2015 against the Yankees in the bottom of the 2nd tying the ball game.  Schoop (pronounced SCOPE) ended up getting a double as well after an overturned out call at 2nd base making the score 2-1 Orioles.

4. You can't spell Pineda without PINE.  As in pine tar.  Every time he pitches for the rest of his career, at least on ESPN, we will be reminded of the PINE TAR game against Boston.  Thanks for being predictable guys!  They need to just LET IT GO.

5. Alex Rodriguez back at Third Base!  I bet that the ESPN crew did not make any comments about steroids or the impending fight with the Yankees over 660 or about his suspension.  Oh wait...see item #5 above.

6. Teixeira batting right-handed again tonight.  Lo and behold...a home run to tie it at 2-2 in the 4th.  Didn't I say something about he should continue batting right-handed...?  I swear I said that somewhere...maybe it was just the added bonus of playing in front of a home (hostile) crowd that got his juices flowing.

7. The New York Yankees are the "Most Shiftable Team in MLB."  It's probably not an award they would want to win.  On the other hand...check out the top teams in the American League that employed the shift in 2014 (according to ESPN's research dept): 1. Astros - 1341, 2. Rays - 824, 3. Yankees -739, 4. Orioles - 705.  The team average for MLB is 443.  For those of you that don't know what the shift is, I have included a helpful diagram for you here:

The Shift commonly used against Right-handed Pull hitters...

8. And the stats just keep on coming.  Coming into this game with Baltimore, the Yankees were 1 for 19 with 2 outs and runners in scoring position (RISP).  That's an .053 clip--worst in the majors.  That number didn't change with Teixeira's walk in the 6th and briefly went down to 1 for 20 with A-Rod's fly out.  But oh how the numbers tend to average out over time, ehh?  Ellsbury got an infield single in the 7th to load the bases putting the Yankees at 2 for 21 (.095).  Then came the big surprise of the last decade...putting that number at 3 for 22 (.136).

9. Chris Davis' Drug Suspension.  Does anyone remember Davis' suspension for the use of Amphetamines?  I mean I'm sure ESPN brought it up ad nauseum like the whole A-Rod ordeal...maybe I just missed it?  Check out this article if you don't know what I'm talking aboot.

10. Pineda, Pineda, Pinata.  So he finally gets some run support and gives up 5 earned runs.  Come on man! You can't have it both ways.  But seriously...prior to the 2-run HR given up to Jones in the bottom of the 6th with a frickin' 1-2 count that made it 4-2 his line was stellar with 2 ER, 7 Ks, and ZERO base on balls (BB).  Michael PINEda finished with 6-1/3 IP throwing 98 pitches, 5 ER on 9 hits, with 9 Ks.  His ERA ballooned to 5.11.  But more importantly he got the win balancing out the no decision he got in his last start.

11. What are the odds?  If you would have bet me a million dollars that 1) Stephen Drew would pinch hit for Brett Gardner after he got hit in the wrist earlier in the game, 2) said pinch hitter would then proceed to be patient enough to get in a hitter's count and 3) said pinch hitter would hit a Grand Slam to put the Yankees up 6-4 in the bottom of the 6th...I would be penniless.  I mean only in Baseball right?  The guy who all of us bloggers like to pick on the most is making us eat crow the last 2 nights.  All I can say is that this crow tastes mighty good right now!

12. Betances vs. Miller.  As of right now I would say that Andrew Miller has dibs on the Closer role as his performance in the 8th and 9th innings tonight was much better than that of Dellin Betances with 3 Ks vs. Betances' 1.  What is wrong with Dellin...shouldn't he have like 20 Ks by now??  His 24 pitches tonight only included 10 strikes, which was very uncharacteristic.  Only time will tell.  I still feel pretty good about the bullpen (sans Esmil Rogers).

The Daily Dozen - August 25, 2014

The Daily Dozen - August 25th, 2014 - The Pine Tar Squared Edition
(Twelve Takeaways from Tonight's Makeup Game vs. the Royals)

1. First off...We Don't Want to be Royals...Thanks Lorde.

ROYALS - LORDE

Tigers on a Gold Leash?? Sounds kind of cool...

The last time the Royals made the playoffs was in 1985...oh...and they won it.

2. Before the game, the Kansas City organization was all class.  They handed Derek Jeter a check for $10,000 to his Turn 2 Foundation.  I bet this was one of his favorite retirement gifts!

(Photo Credit: Associated Press, Colin E. Braley)

3. Derek Jeter then got the Yankees on the board first.  So it was a ground out, which Big Game James is used to inducing.  But it was an RBI ground out!

4. Moustakas responds with a solo HR off of Pineda in the bottom of the 3rd.  Why doesn't he just change his name to Moustache already...it would just be easier on everyone.  The Yankees have been hounded by .200 hitters this year, especially in the solo HR department.  Mike Moustakas' line for the year sits at .208 average, 15 home runs, and 49 RBI...remind you of any Yankees hitters?

5. ESPN is obligated to show the George Brett Pine Tar incident anytime the Yankees play the Royals.  And now that Michael Pineda got caught with pine tar on his neck against the Red Sox it must be shown EVERY game he pitches.  Thanks ESPN for the nostalgia!

(Photo Credit: BleacherReport.com)

(Photo Credit: SBNation.com)

6. James Shields aka Big Game James.  He was 3-0 this August and 28-12 in his career in my birth month.  But not tonight, however, as he gave up 6 runs and 4 of those in the 7th after he stopped getting groundball outs.

7. Stephen Drew mashes a 3-2 pitch from Shields in the 4th.  The count started out at 0-2 and he fought back resisting swinging at 3 inside pitches.  This was the turning point in the game.

8. Ichiro and Sisler.  The announcers (which include Aaron Boone) mentioned how when Ichiro was in St. Louis for the 2009 All-Star Game, he visited George Sisler's gravesite to pay the former hits leader in a single season respect.  In 2004, Ichiro Suzuki broke the all-time single season hits record of 257 hits while a member of the Seattle Mariners.  Pretty cool stuff.  Ichiro will likely join Sisler in the Hall of Fame one day.

9. The Yankees finally start to score runs in the 7th.  Prado hit yet another big home run, Jeter got his 2nd RBI of the game, and Ellsbury was SAFE at home on a close play at the plate.

10. New York is 19 for 24 in challenges this season.  Gotta love replay...at least as a Yankees fan, right?  It really doesn't take that long and most of the time the managers are getting it right.  Technology...

(Photo Credit: Ed Zurga, Getty Images)

11. Salvador Perez.  He's pretty damn good...not gonna lie.  He's the reigning Gold Glove winner at the catcher position in the AL and he's sports a decent bat with a .262 average, 15 home runs, and 55 RBI.  Basically McCann in his prime.

12. With the 8-1 win, the Yankees are now 3 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot currently held by the Seattle Canos.  They have the ability to leapfrog the Tigers in the next series as they are 2 games ahead of the Yanks.  It obviously can be done as the Yankees continue to win (and I continue to predict them losing...thank me later).  Five wins in a row and counting!

BREAKING: Pineda Will NOT Use Pine Tar Tonight

phot courtesy of NoMaas.org

When asked by reporters in New York Michael Pineda answered the question that I think every Yankees fan wanted to know, will he use pine tar. Pineda's answer was a very emphatic "no" followed by a death stare. First person to blame a bad inning on the lack of pine tar loses on Twitter and in life tonight.

MLB To Address Use Of Pine Tar For Pitchers

Major League Baseball and commissioner Bud Selig know that there is a problem, they know that it's running rampant around the league, and they know that everyone knows it. Sound familiar? I'm not talking about steroids here this time, I'm talking about the use of pine tar. We all know about Michael Pineda dipping his palm in a can of pine tar three weeks ago against the Red Sox and we all know about the pine tar hickey that got him suspended for 10 games, the longest foreign substance suspension in the history of the game for pitchers, but there may be change on the horizon.

Selig told the Associated Press last week that they would be willing to look at allowing, or continuing to disallow obviously, the use of pine tar for pitchers in the league. Most pitchers, former and current, have admitted to using pine tar for getting a better grip on cold night and most batters admit to have no problem with it. You cannot cut the ball with pine tar, you cannot make it flutter, you can't throw it faster or necessarily better, you just grip the ball better. Batters in the league can use pine tar and batting gloves to grip the bat so I don't personally see a problem with it but maybe it's me. 

Here are the quotes from commissioner Selig to the AP:

"There's a million ways to [use it discreetly]," Selig said. "This one, I can understand why [MLB discipline czar] Joe Torre reacted how he did [with a lengthy suspension]. It was obvious."

"When the year is over, we ought to look at all this."

Tanaka Says Japanese Pitchers Don't Use Pine Tar

Good possibility there is NOT pine tar under the bill of his cap there.

Michael Pineda was supposed to start for the New York Yankees today but is currently serving a 10 game suspension for using pine tar while pitching against the Red Sox for the second time this season. Obviously the talk all over ESPN and the sports media world will be about Pineda and pine tar specifically and unfortunately we will be no different here. Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was asked by reporters from NJ.com what he thought about pitchers using foreign substances and pine tar and informed us that Japanese pitchers do not use pine tar while pitching, or any foreign substance.

"I obviously don't know every single pitcher," Tanaka said via his translator, Shingo Horie, on Friday. "But what I know is that most of the pitchers don't do anything when they go to the mound."

"And, plus, the thing is, Japanese (baseballs), they're smaller, you get a better grip on those balls than (the ones) out here," Tanaka said. "And the climate in Japan is moist. There's a lot of moisture in the air. So you don't need that."

And now you know, and knowing is half the battle. 

Michael Pineda Presents Pine Tar Gate Part II

Did Michael Pineda learn nothing from the last edition of Pine Tar Gate? He is back at it again but this time he has the pine tar on his neck. Pineda never claimed to be intelligent, and I wouldn't agree with it anyway after his DUI, but this is just stupid. At least TRY to hide it Pineda, try. I smell a suspension or a fine this time around, especially if Major League Baseball talked to him after his last start against Boston like they said they would.

Michael Pineda has been ejected from the game in the second inning against the Red Sox. Wow.

Quick Hit: What Will Boston Fans Whine About Now

The Boston Red Sox organization and players may have not made a big stink about Michael Pineda and Pine Tar Gate but their fans did, especially on Twitter. I heard many ignorant ramblings that basically said that Pineda was only good because of the pine tar and that Boston would have won had Pineda not cheated. While they are entitled to their opinion it doesn't necessarily make them right, especially when MLB players former and current are saying that pine tar does NOTHING to affect the pitches and the pitcher. You grip the ball better just like you use pine tar to grip the bat better. Anyway, I digress...

What will Boston fans complain about now after Pineda dominated the Chicago Cubs last night? The Cubs don't have the offense that Boston has, that's a given, but they are still a Major League team capable of scoring runs at any time. Oh yeah, the Yankees still have Alex Rodriguez. Carry on.

Michael Pineda & The Real Pine Tar Gate Explanation

You had to know this was coming... I could have chosen from a million of them, haters were out in swarms after Michael Pineda's last start. Haters gonna hate I guess, this one was funny though I cannot deny it.

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Chicago Cubs 4/16 Game Two

The New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs are back at it today at Yankee Stadium in the night cap of their split double header. The Yankees will send Michael Pineda, presumably with a clean hand, to the mound to face off with Travis Wood for the Cubs. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on MY9, MLB Network, on the computer with MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

All the talk will be about Pineda and the "dirt" that was on his right pitching hand. Everyone will ignore that the Red Sox did not make a stink about it or that he pitched well after the gunk magically disappeared. The first time Pineda throws a ball or gives up a hit or a home run ESPN will be all over Pineda for being a cheater, right it down. Pineda shut down ESPN's beloved Boston Red Sox in his last start striking out seven in six plus innings of one run ball. Pineda looks to do it against the Cubs tonight.

Wood is a left handed pitcher who is coming off a career high nine strikeout game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last start. Wood has never pitched at Yankee Stadium, old or new, so this will be a first for him. With Wood being a lefty I expect Scott Sizemore, Alfonso Soriano, Derek Jeter, Yangervis Solarte, and possibly John Ryan Murphy getting starts as they are right handed. Hopefully the Yankees can jump on Wood... no pun.... early and often and get out of town with a victory.

Go Yankees!!

My Reaction to Michael Pineda & Pine Tar

There are three main reasons why I'm not at all worked up about Michael Pineda allegedly using pine tar in last night's game...

1. Hitters use it, too. They might not be able to put pine tar on their bats up high enough to gain that big an advantage, but you can't tell me that being able to grip the bat better doesn't help them hit better. And that's all pitchers do with pine tar... help grip the ball better. That grip may help them throw the ball a bit harder, or give their breaking balls a bit more bite, but pine tar doesn't turn a journeyman pitcher into a Cy Young Award candidate.
2. Speaking of pitchers using pine tar, notice that I didn't call out anybody specifically. While some Yankees fans have made it a point to bring up Jon Lester, and his alleged use of pine tar in the 2013 postseason, I don't see the point in doing that. It's like the usage of PEDs... it's everywhere. No, that doesn't mean everybody is using it, but it's so wide spread that it's impossible to create a list of those that do use it and those that don't use it.
3. Not a single player, coach, or front office employee for the Red Sox has said they're upset about it. David Ortiz, himself, has gone on record as saying it's not a big deal. And from what I've read, they knew it was going on during the game, and didn't say anything to the umpires. Whether that means they have pitchers using pine tar as well, and don't want the umpires or others punishing them, or that they simply don't care about it, or unknown. But if those that were victims of the alleged cheating don't care, then why in the World should anybody else?

Someone pointed out to me that the Yankees are the class of baseball, and one of the biggest sports franchises in the World. For that reason they should hold themselves up to a higher standard, and not do what Joe Girardi did and brush off the topic. Furthermore, Major League Baseball should take this opportunity to make an example of Michael Pineda and the Yankees, and hand down some big-time fines and/or suspensions.

And you know what... I agree.

Suspending and/or fining Michael Pineda, Joe Girardi, and the New York Yankees for breaking this rule would do a lot more to bring attention to the issue of cheating, rather than doing the same to Scott Feldman, Bo Porter, and the Houston Astros*. And if that's what Bud Selig wants to do... then so be it.

*It should go without saying, but I am in no way accusing Feldman, Porter, or the Astros of doing anything wrong. It's simply an example of a lower profile player, manager, and organization.

Just don't make this into a Yankees issue. All the Yankee hate can get very tiring to die-hard fans such as myself, but it comes with the territory. I've accepted it, which is why I've embraced the "Evil Empire" moniker. But that doesn't mean I'm going to sit here and keep my mouth shut when the team is unfairly criticized like they are today.

By the way, if Major League Baseball did decide to fine and/or suspend Pineda, Girardi, and the Yankees for what happened last night, then you can be damn sure that I'm going to be taking full advantage of my HD television, as well as every close-up view at my disposal, to make sure MLB does the same thing to every other team and player.