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I remember Kirk Saarloos ... he had a habit of getting shelled his first outing at a new level, and then settling in and domination (until he hit the majors - which were simply beyond his talent threshold).  When you see a kid get crushed game 1 in A, A+, AA and AAA ... then when you promote him to the Bigs, you'll likely be more relaxed about an out-of-gate implosion.  ("The kid has nerves that take a start or two to get under control.")
Pineda, obviously has shown none of that.  Which, of course, is one (minor) point of taking the time to promote sequentially.  You get to see BEYOND the player - and get a read on the PERSON.  How does he transition into a new clubhouse?  Is he quiet and reserved and distant - or brash, cocky, arrogant?  And from 17-25 people are *becoming* who they eventually will be ... they aren't there yet.
So, a club has the added complication of dealing with a moving target.  That 20-year-old, who wants to party until 3:00am after every start may vanish by age 24.  And when you're planning on investing millions in a kid - EVERY bit of data is helpful.
The tricky part of managing - (not just in baseball, but in any business), is that the goal is to get the absolute most out of whatever talent your employees have.  But, on day one, you have no idea how to get the most out of THIS employee.  It takes time to learn what a kid's strengths and weaknesses are - and even longer to figure out what carrots and sticks he will most readily respond to. 
If Branyan is going to hit .900 batting anywhere but 4th - but is going to be unhappy and nervous, if you DO hit him cleanup, you hit him 2nd or 3rd ... keep him happy, and be happy that you're maximizing HIS productivity - (even if there is a nominal cost to the team).  Because, unhappy players rarely produce at their peak. 
In OOTP (the sim game), you just promote your best guys by the numbers and see the results.  In the real world - you HAVE to remember that these are human beings with human frailties, (and especially egos).  When your development train has been parked in the station for a decade, it may take awhile to get it going.  But, the potential rewards are huge.