Today after 20 years, every Yankees fan
is forced with the fact there is actually a future after Derek Jeter.
For many fans, there has always been a permeating feeling that if
Jeter was at shortstop, the dynasty glory will live on. That fantasy
ends in only a matter of a weeks. So what's the plan? If the Yankees
aren't to be doomed with a repeat of 1980's incompetency, and a
future decade dominated from Queens, they need a true number one. It
all starts with Michael Pineda.
Pitching, Pitching,
Pitching:
If you can actually believe it, the
Yankees have a future worth excitement when it comes to their guns in
their projected rotation of the next few years. In 2014, the Yankees
knew nothing but injury to their starting staff. It was only through
the pithy, and far sighted acquisitions on the part of GM Brian
Cashman that the club remained in marketable contention. This is not
a sustainable practice, and the first piece to guarantee it does not
continue is Michael Pineda. A situation that makes even the biggest
homer hoard their season ticket deposits.
Michael Pineda is the lynch-pin to any
future architecture to the Yankees. Despite missing all of 2013, and
the vast majority of 2014, Pineda is the portion of the Yankees
future that must be a blue-chip. Pineda is not a prospect. He is 25,
and debuted brilliantly for Seattle in 2011. Standing at 6'-7”, 265
pounds, his brilliant velocity, precise command of the strike-zone,
and with a clear philosophy of dominant pitching in the show, he must
evolve to be the Yankees game one starter. As a pitcher entering his
mid-twenties, with his cache of talent and refinement, 2015 is
Pineda's time, defined. Every pitcher deals with injury, a fact made
clear to every professional. Unfortunately, each players ability to
remain durable is as unique as their fingerprint. Durability is
Pineda's one true obstacle that will separate him between
irrelevancy, and a seven year deal worth over $150 million. He and
the Yankees share a fait accompli. His 50.0IP/38H/4BB/34K with a 1.80
ERA in 2014 is the clearest example of his potential career ceiling.
Even in an age when pitching has roared with dominance, this sample
must be taken as evidence of a talent that could contribute
invaluably to future championships. It is the first true investment
of the next Yankees generation. An investment for the Yankees sake,
that must pay dividends.
The Difference:
The largest difference between 2014,
and 1994 is the fan base. Not only has there been an entirely new
generation of Yankees fans that have only known winning, the
commercial infrastructure of the franchise cannot accept any other
outcome. With the seats between the bases described as an experience
the equivalent of a high-end socialite wedding reception, 80 wins a
year is not an outcome that is fathomable. If the Yankees sustain
mediocrity for any period of time, the only thing the imperial palace
will attract are mosquitoes breeding in pools of water on the warning
track. Needless to say, these are high stakes for the new generation
of Steinbrenner ownership. While there is so much more that is
required for a Yankees future worth witnessing, Michael Pineda is
cornerstone one.
Next time, we venture into the wide
open field of the future of the everyday player. A name that will
need be the pillar of success, that even with divine providence we
can only now speculate.
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