Michael Pineda - performance of the year?

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:31 pm

Pineda finished his season in fine fashion today: 9 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 14 K

The hit didn't leave the infield; only four lazy pop-ups/fly balls did all day.

Pineda's final line for the season as a 19 year old in the Midwest League:

138.1 IP, 109 H, 7 HR, 35 BB, 128 K, 1.95 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 2:24 pm

Goldstein comments in his Ten Pack:

Michael Pineda, RHP, Low-A Wisconsin (Mariners)
Big-time sleeper alert! Pineda ended his full-season debut with arguably the best pitching performance in the Midwest League this seasonÃ³striking out 14 in a nine-inning complete-game one-hitter. He finished the year second in the league with a sterling 1.95 ERA, while limiting opposing batters to a .216 average and striking out 128 against just 35 walks in 138 1/3 innings. Six-foot-five and seemingly even longer than that, Pineda was part of one of the most interesting rotations in the league this yearÃ³one that also featured 2007 first-round pick Phillippe Aumont and fireballer Juan Carlos RamirezÃ³and for all three of them it was the same story: love the body, love the fastball (Pineda gets his up to 93 mph, with projection for more), and sure hope that secondary stuff comes around. At just 19 years of age, Pineda has plenty of time.