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BY FRANK VERDE
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
FRANKIE SAYS
A good-looking young hitter with no position for a legitimate No. 2 starter right now and a future ace?
Some baseball analysts call this a fair swap. Put me in the other camp, the one who politely shake their heads in disbelief or impolitely snicker behind the other general manager’s back.
Unless Jesus Montero evolves into the next Edgar Martinez for the Mariners, the Yankees absolutely stole Michael Pineda from Seattle in last night’s four-player deal.
I won’t even mention the two prospects who were included in the swap. Nor will I go into the Yankees signing free agent Hiroki Kuroda last night, which along with the Pineda trade makes New York the clear-cut favorites in the A.L. East this season.
Let’s take a look at the main event: Montero vs. Pineda.
Montero played in 18 games as a rookie. He had 69 at-bats and showed an ability to hit for average and power. Four home runs, 12 RBI, a .406 on base percentage and a .590 slugging percentage.
That kind of production from such a young player translates into a middle of the order hitter in Seattle, the lowest scoring team in the league in 2011.
But where did it leave him in New York?
Montero was touted as a slugging but defensively challenged catcher when he first came to the Bronx. That assessment soon changed to a slugging designated hitter. But the Yankees have no need for a 22-year-old designated hitter, especially as A-Rod is starting to break down and an aging Derek Jeter needs a break from shortstop every now and then.
Where else can Montero play? He hasn’t shown the athletic ability to play a corner outfield position and Mark Teixeira is set in stone at first base.
So Montero goes to the baseball hinterland of Seattle while Pineda takes his 6-foot, 7-inch, 260-pound frame to the bright lights of the Bronx.
I think this young man is going to shine in New York.
Pineda, who will turn 23 Wednesday, was 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA in his rookie season. But there’s other numbers that tell the story.
He made 28 starts last year. In 171 innings, he allowed only 133 hits, struck out 173 and walked just 55 batters. His WHIP was 1.10, eighth best in the A.L. His strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked 14th best in the league. As a 22-year-old!
Pineda consistently throws in the mid-90s and can reach 98 mph on the radar gun. With an excellent fastball and nasty slider, he’s the No. 2 starter on the Yankees right now, even as he works on improving his change-up.
And, contractually, the Yankees have control of him for the next five seasons. His current salary is the bargain-basement price of $414,000 per year.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman is too much of a professional to snicker after fleecing a fellow GM in a deal, so I’ll do it.
The Yankees absolutely robbed the Mariners on Friday. If you don’t believe me, see what the Red Sox and Rays think of the move as the season progresses.
Frank Verde’s website frankverde.com features his sports blog and information about his current and soon to arrive e-books. He is the author of the family saga “One Christmas Knight” and the detective mystery “Devil’s Hollow,” now available at amazon.com.
