C.C. Sabathia has high hopes from newly acquired Michael Pineda – MLB News
New York Yankees' pitching attack is looking in great shape ahead of Spring Training. Last season, the Yankees did a great job to make it to the postseason. However, they had to pay the heavy price for their weak pitching lineup in the playoffs.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi were very proactive this offseason and they have made some great moves to power Yankees pitching unit. They have a solid and reliable ace in form of C.C Sabathia. Acquiring Michael Pineda for starting rotation spot, they have more depth and quality in their pitching attack.
"If he wants to talk about it, I will talk to him," Sabathia said of Pineda, who went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA for the Mariners. "I don’t want to force it on him but I am sure we will talk about it."
"It’s hard to trust [the change] when you throw as hard as he does," Sabathia said of Pineda, whose fastball reaches 97 mph. "Carl Willis and Terry Mulholland worked with me on it until I trusted it. Carl showed it to me and Terry worked with me on it before batting practice. A lot of it is mental."
Pineda displayed some high quality throwing skills last season and it will not be wrong to say that he is one of the most promising starters in Major League Baseball right now. His fastball has been recorded at 97mph. With some work on his throwing technique, he can become a future ace for the Yankees.
In his rookie season, Pineda made the most of available opportunities to make a name for himself. He will have a key role to play for the Yankees in 2012.
Sabathia, who was the lonely warrior in 2011, will be supported by the likes of Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and Hiroki Kuroda in 2012. If the Yankees can execute their game plan to perfection, they will be a force to reckon with in the upcoming season. Pineda, on the other hand, will be looking to show his talent in Spring Training as the fans will be waiting desperately to see him perform on the mound.
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