No doubt, Pineda is a talent.
He managed 6 solid innings against a lineup that is on fire.
5 hits in 6 innings is always going to sound nice.
The downside is 10 bases in 5 hits - (no HRs, just fyi).
Bedard allowed only 4 hits in 5 innings the day before - but Texas managed 17 bases on 7 hits in that start. HRs will jack the total base count quickly, of course.
There are tons of ways to measure pitchers - K/BB, ERA ... but one measure generally ignored is opponent ISO. While there are certainly exceptions, I think one of the things that makes "ace" level pitchers, (remember, I watched Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz for a decade), is keeping "hard hit" balls to a minimum. That manifests itself in low ISO rates. IMO, ISO is a nice little proxy for experience and guile, (craftyness?).
What were the ISOs for the 2010 Seattle SPs?
Felix - .100
C.Lee - .101
Vargas - .148
Fister - .108
French - .190
Pauley - .142
The sample is waaaay too small on Pineda to draw any conclusions, (Felix stands at .209 at the moment and Bedard at .450). But, as talented as Pineda is, it will likely be his ISO that determines how good his 2011 season turns out.
That ability to not get hit HARD when you get hit is to a large degree what turns great throwing into great pitchers. Many don't quite get that Felix started out with ISOs of .140 his first couple of years, which have turned into 100s his last couple. His K-rate and K/BB rates didn't change drastically. His ISO allowed changed - and he went from a 4.50 to a .350 to a 2.30 ERA. SOME of that improvement is defense cutting doubles to singles - but lots of it is just avoiding line drives (and especially avoiding mistakes against the most dangerous hitters).
Pineda will likely get there ... he's certainly got the tools. Just remember that Felix had problems "perceived" as being overly aggressive early in his career. I don't believe it's about aggression - it's about experience - about knowing WHEN to not be quite as intent on catching the black vs. missing the black.
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