What Happened To Michael Pineda?

Michael Pineda signs a free agent contract ahead of his 33rd season.

Michael Pineda’s career has been hampered by injuries and inconsistency although he was once viewed as a promising pitching prospect.

Pineda has a 3.98 ERA (105 ERA+) in 962 career innings, far from the “ace” label he was given at the start of his career in Seattle. His 3.69 FIP, on the other hand, suggests he has more noteworthy skills than his outcomes.

Pineda has a 3.80 ERA (119 ERA+) in 282 innings with Minnesota since the start of 2019. He is now eligible to re-enter free agency ahead of his 33rd season.

Teams may not have him at the top of their offseason shopping list, but he’s coming off a two-year, $20 million extension and might be in line for another.

Pineda was effective in 2021, pitching 109 13 innings (21 starts) with a 3.62 ERA, winning 9 games for a Twins team that lost 89 games. He missed time due to ailments to his forearm and oblique.

Pineda’s addition might be a wonderful complement to the Miami Marlins’ already powerful rotation, which includes Sandy Alcantara and Rookie of the Year runner-up Trevor Rogers.

However, the red flags that surround Pineda are ever-present. He has never pitched more than 200 innings in a single season, despite hurling a career-high 175 2/3 innings with the Yankees in 2017.

He has been unable to re-establish himself as a top pitcher due to a gradual drop in fastball velocity and sporadic swing-and-miss.

Pineda’s average fastball velocity was in the 15th percentile, down from his 79th percentile best. His 7.2 K/9 was the lowest of all of the right-seasons hander’s in which he pitched 100 innings or more.

In his career, the Dominican native has allowed nearly as many hits as innings pitched. But what about the Jekyll and Hyde aspect of it all?

He still has a respectable 1.19 WHIP. Pineda’s almost clinical ability to throw strikes explains why his chase and walk rates were both in the 96th percentile.