Cashman admits Pineda was 20 pounds over-weight

[foreveryankees]

Ian O'Connor posted on his twitter site today that Cashman said Pineda showed up 20 pounds heavier than 11 and didn't pick up a ball once this winter.

My question is.... wouldn't it have been nice to know this before the trade?... was it possible to do some research to check on this... was Cashman aware?..and if he wasn't.. shouldn't it have been his job to do some research on not only the work he's put in during the off season but his attittude and personality? I'm aggrravated that this man came into this year not wanted to earn it.

I just watched Noesi today and not only does he look like he's in great physical condition, but he also is throwing the ball extremely well.

We went from nearly trading Montero for an ace (LEE), for trading him for a question mark with potential.....we have to remember we didn't acquire Felix Hernandez.. we acquired someone who wants to be him.

Consdering we lost to the Tigers because of offense last year, not our pitching..

And Adding that we have Pettitte back....makes me wonder if that trade was necessary at all..

[DiMaggio5CF]

Here's the link to the tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/Ian_OConnor/st...21584978948098

Cashman said Pineda showed up 20 pds heavier than '11 and likely didnt pick up a ball once in winter. #yankees http://tinyurl.com/7xmhu7v

Please post a link, and maybe one paragraph, from an article that you reference.

[1stbase]

Listen to the podcast though, cashman hardly bashes pineda, he pretty much praised the heck out of him

[foreveryankees]

Listen to the podcast though, cashman hardly bashes pineda, he pretty much praised the heck out of him

in the same manner Cashman praised Jeff Weaver when we traded for him or Jose Contreras.. the cuban Missile?
or the same way Cashman praised Javier Vazquez.. not once but twice?

or how Hughes and Joba were supposed to be the next great young pitchers in New York?

sorry just don't trust our GM's opinion when it comes to young pitching.

[SLURPEE]

Oh please Brian.

He lost me as a fan after the trade anyway.

[heathdwilliams]

When I first saw this image, I was hoping it was an unflattering shot. Yeah, Cashman should have found out what kind of work Pineda was putting in this winter before pulling the trigger on a trade. And given his fastball's lack of oomph so far this spring, I am a bit concerned.

Let's keep in mind, though, that +20 pounds puts him at 6'7", 280. That's the same height and 10 pounds lighter than CC. (Obviously Pineda is no Sabathia, but I do think it's worth noting that guys with that physique are still capable of pitching lights out.

[longtimeyankeefan]

If that's the case, I option Pineda out of spring training, leave him in Tampa to work his butt off (literally) and get his fastball back.

He needs to learn the concept of preparing for the next season beginning soon after the last season ends.

[1stbase]

in the same manner Cashman praised Jeff Weaver when we traded for him or Jose Contreras.. the cuban Missile?
or the same way Cashman praised Javier Vazquez.. not once but twice?

or how Hughes and Joba were supposed to be the next great young pitchers in New York?

sorry just don't trust our GM's opinion when it comes to young pitching.

Just pointing out that when you actually listen to what he said and not just read something of off a twitter account it comes out completely different, the link of the podcast is everywhere

[apalradio]

Let's not start trashing this kid just yet. Every GM and baseball pundit that has weighed in on this deal considers Pineda as a #1 or #2 ceiling kind of pitcher. I'm gonna go with that until proven otherwise.

[longtimeyankeefan]

Let's not start trashing this kid just yet. Every GM and baseball pundit that has weighed in on this deal considers Pineda as a #1 or #2 ceiling kind of pitcher. I'm gonna go with that until proven otherwise.

I'm not trashing the kid, but this situation sounds an awful lot like what happened with Hughes last season - not properly preparing for the forthcoming season, leading to a dead arm at the beginning of the season.

If he truly did come into camp 20 pounds overweight, he needs to be taught how to be a professional. Put him in Tampa with Pettitte and I pretty much guarantee that the kid will learn about workouts and getting in shape. It will also give the two a chance to bond and have Pettitte pass onto Pineda a lot of well-learned wisdom about how to be a pitcher.

His ceiling may well be a #1 or #2, but there have been a lot of ceilings that have never been touched because the individual thought he was anointed, not earning the honor. Pineda still needs to earn the position of #1 or #2.

BTW - I think the idea of Pineda being anything higher than #3 in this rotation is putting pressure on him in his sophomore season.

[Yankee Fan in Boston]

I'm not trashing the kid, but this situation sounds an awful lot like what happened with Hughes last season - not properly preparing for the forthcoming season, leading to a dead arm at the beginning of the season.

If he truly did come into camp 20 pounds overweight, he needs to be taught how to be a professional. Put him in Tampa with Pettitte and I pretty much guarantee that the kid will learn about workouts and getting in shape. It will also give the two a chance to bond and have Pettitte pass onto Pineda a lot of well-learned wisdom about how to be a pitcher.

His ceiling may well be a #1 or #2, but there have been a lot of ceilings that have never been touched because the individual thought he was anointed, not earning the honor. Pineda still needs to earn the position of #1 or #2.

BTW - I think the idea of Pineda being anything higher than #3 in this rotation is putting pressure on him in his sophomore season.

You actually are bashing him, question his attitude and personality... and he'd hardly be the first early 20s kid that came into camp overweight.. in fact, didn't Montero do that once?

Why don't we just let the kid pitch and see how it works out?

[BronxYanks45]

Pineda has options, if he's struggling dont see why you can send him to AAA just like we did Nova last year., heck it did him good

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

Let's not start trashing this kid just yet.

Why don't we just let the kid pitch and see how it works out?

Are you guys new to the forum?

[Yankees13]

Cashman's comments about Pineda have been pretty bizarre. If he pitches well no one is going to care, but it's clear the media is out for blood already, before he's even thrown a pitch in a game that counts.

[ArodEra]

I gave thumbs up to this trade even though I was a huge Montero fan.

I still have a few concerns:

1. It's disconcerting that Pineda comes into his first Yankee camp in that shape.

2. Cashman's history of bad pitching moves.

3. The Yankees' development (or lack thereof) of young arms and potential "stars".

4. Not quite as worrisome to me, but still a small area of concern, is Pineda's velo. More than likely, some of our antennas are up because of what Hughes recently went through and it's fresh on our minds. But, I'm a little concerned that after his start prior to the last, Pineda assured the media that they'll see his 94-97 fb in his next start, as if he was conserving it. Obviously, that wasn't the case the next time out (he hovered around 89-91 and topped out at 92), but rather his arm is not physically up to the task....yet. Again, way too early to make any snap judgments or wonder about the condition of his arm, but there's no law saying that we cannot talk about it, or have some concern(s).

There's more than enough time before the season begins, and it might be silly to be talking about his velo in the spring, but we didn't exactly trade away stiffs to get him, so he sure as hell better pan out. On Pineda's end, the very least he could have done show the Yanks (and the fans) that they made the right decision by leaving no doubt about his work ethic and attitude. It's not a particularly good sign when a second year player, who has great potential, but hasn't done squat to earn any free passes, comes to a new team (the NY Yankees, no less), looking like he gorged on one two many empanadas over the winter, especially when he's struggling to hit 92 on the gun.

[Yankees1962]

You actually are bashing him, question his attitude and personality... and he'd hardly be the first early 20s kid that came into camp overweight.. in fact, didn't Montero do that once?

Why don't we just let the kid pitch and see how it works out?

Montero came into camp last year overweight.

I just listen to the entire interview and thought it wasn't as bad as some have alluded it to be when it comes to Pineda.

[teknetic]

in the same manner Cashman praised Jeff Weaver when we traded for him or Jose Contreras.. the cuban Missile?
or the same way Cashman praised Javier Vazquez.. not once but twice?

or how Hughes and Joba were supposed to be the next great young pitchers in New York?

sorry just don't trust our GM's opinion when it comes to young pitching.

It takes a special kind of person to compare Pineda to Jeff Weaver and Jose Contreras. I truly look forward to your contributions to this forum throughout the year.

[kan_t]

I'm not trashing the kid, but this situation sounds an awful lot like what happened with Hughes last season - not properly preparing for the forthcoming season, leading to a dead arm at the beginning of the season.

If he truly did come into camp 20 pounds overweight, he needs to be taught how to be a professional. Put him in Tampa with Pettitte and I pretty much guarantee that the kid will learn about workouts and getting in shape. It will also give the two a chance to bond and have Pettitte pass onto Pineda a lot of well-learned wisdom about how to be a pitcher.

1) What Pineda has shown in the Spring Training is far better than Hughes last season.

2) Maybe he's been taught already. That's why he has lost weight so fast.

It takes a special kind of person to compare Pineda to Jeff Weaver and Jose Contreras. I truly look forward to your contributions to this forum throughout the year.

You're nice.

[Axon]

Threads like this always irritate me, as they remind me of the whole "that kid has the good face" system of player assessment that was prevalent in the 1980s. This guy is not a small forward in the NBA. He's a pitcher, where fatties do just fine. And at 23, his weight shouldn't (and doesn't, you can see how he springs off the mound) have much effect on anything.

What does concern me is that his velocity is down, as has been indicated earlier in the thread. It seems clear that he did not work much in the off season. And while I think Pineda will start the season in Double or Triple A, it's clear that his stuff is pretty good. IMO he should take Hughes' starting job, but they will stay loyal to Phil for a while.

[StaleMilk]

All the quotes in the below post don't seem to match up with what Pineda did over the offseason.

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread...=1#post7443403

[dabomb2045]

The amount of panic and nitpicking w/Pineda is reaching a level that I havent seen around here in a long time.

[StaleMilk]

Not really sure how it's nitpicking. Pineda reportedly a very hard worker, showed up to Spring Training with a new team out of shape.

Whether that affects him adversely has yet to be seen, however if he struggles in the beginning of the season it's fairly reasonable to suspect the cause was his conditioning.

[Yanksfanintoronto]

Ian O'Connor posted on his twitter site today that Cashman said Pineda showed up 20 pounds heavier than 11 and didn't pick up a ball once this winter.

My question is.... wouldn't it have been nice to know this before the trade?... was it possible to do some research to check on this... was Cashman aware?..and if he wasn't.. shouldn't it have been his job to do some research on not only the work he's put in during the off season but his attittude and personality? I'm aggrravated that this man came into this year not wanted to earn it.

I just watched Noesi today and not only does he look like he's in great physical condition, but he also is throwing the ball extremely well.

We went from nearly trading Montero for an ace (LEE), for trading him for a question mark with potential.....we have to remember we didn't acquire Felix Hernandez.. we acquired someone who wants to be him.

Consdering we lost to the Tigers because of offense last year, not our pitching..

And Adding that we have Pettitte back....makes me wonder if that trade was necessary at all..

WOW! I really had no idea that you knew Pineda that well!!! Must have had some good chats with about his lack of desire to earn it...maybe you shouldve advised him over the winter on how to stay fit and how to 'earn' it. Pity that the Yankees organization is not as thorough with its thoughts and research as you are....thought of ever starting a pro sports team???

[JL25and3]

The amount of panic and nitpicking w/Pineda is reaching a level that I havent seen around here in a long time.

Not since Thursday or so.

[YESSIR!]

All the quotes in the below post don't seem to match up with what Pineda did over the offseason.

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread...=1#post7443403

Sounds like a typical youngster: putting in tons of hard work to achieve your goal, then taking a little too long to exhale once you do. It's much easier to not work as hard once you've made it to The Show and had success. I'm sure Pineda is aware of his mistake and is currently busting his ass to put it to bed and make sure it doesn't happen again.

The nitpicking is as predictable as sunrise in this situation because this kid cost us Montero, who Yankee fans fuggin loved. Fans see the Yanks with 7 ML pitchers and a full rotation in AAA that is probably better than what the Pirates are throwing out there 1 through 5, and all these guys are as blocked as ever. So then it becomes easier to question if maybe trading the young bat, which doesn't exist anywhere on the team or in the system within at least 2-3 years from the majors, for even more pitching was really worth it after all. And now the kid that's been added to the pile of arms shows up maybe not putting his best foot forward and of course that's only going to lead to more pained rapid reaction than is probably called for.