Michael Pineda

At 35 years old, Michael Pineda has this physical status:

Michael Francisco Pineda Paulino (born January 18, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He previously played for the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. Pineda signed as an international free agent with the Mariners in 2005, and made his MLB debut for the Mariners in 2011.

In his rookie season he was named an All-Star and finished fifth in balloting for American League Rookie of the Year.

After his rookie season, he was traded to the Yankees.

He missed the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to a series of shoulder injuries.

Pineda's 2017 season ended when he underwent Tommy John surgery, which kept him out for the entire 2018 season.

He returned to MLB with the Twins in 2019.

Early life

Pineda grew up in Yaguate, Dominican Republic. His father is a welder and his mother is a hair stylist. Pineda is the oldest of five children.

Personal life

Pineda's family lives in the Dominican Republic. While pitching for the Mariners in 2011, he roomed with Navarro, who had become the Mariners' bullpen coach.

On August 20, 2012, Pineda was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol while on injury rehab in Tampa, Florida. On February 20, 2013. Pineda pleaded no contest to driving under the influence. In the aftermath, he was fined $500, received a year of probation, and was ordered to attend DUI school plus undergo 50 hours of community service.

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Professional career

Pineda signed with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) at age 16, 2005. He was given a $35,000 signing bonus. Pineda made his professional debut with the Mariners of the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League (DSL), winning by 2–1 over loss in 2006 and a 0.44 earned run average (ERA), allowing only one earned run all season. In regular action for the DSL Mariners, he had a 6–1 record with a 2.29 ERA. Pineda played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Class-A Midwest League in 2008, finishing 8–6 for the 8th time with a 1.95 ERA. Against Pineda, the opponents had a batting average of.216 against. In ERA, opponent average, and strikeouts (128) he was a leader of the Seattle farm system. Pineda was rated as the Mariners' tenth best prospect, by Baseball America, while the Mariners named him their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Jaime Navarro, a Wisconsin pitching coach, became Pineda's mentor.

Pineda sustained injuries during the 2009 season, with the majority of the year due to elbow injury. He had a 2.84 ERA with the High Desert Mavericks of the California League when healthy and throwing three shutout innings for the Mariners of the Rookie-level Arizona League. He came out 52 in 47+13 innings pitched (IP) for the year.

Pineda was ranked as the Mariners' sixth best prospect before the 2010 season. Pineda, who was back in good health in 2010 with 78 strikeouts and 17 walks in 77 IP and 3–3 with a 4.76 ERA in 78 IP and 3–3 with 78 strikeouts and 17 walks in 62+1,3 IP. He retired from playing in 140 IP as a precaution against injury. Pineda was selected as the year's Minor League Pitcher of the Year by the Mariners in 2010, and he was a finalist for the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year.

Pineda was ranked as the second best prospect in the Mariners' system before the 2011 season, according to Baseball America. He was also rated as the sixteenth best prospect in all baseball.

Following Chris Sale and Tim Collins, Pineda was the third starter on the Mariners' starting rotation out of spring training 2011, becoming the third youngest player on a 2011 American League opening day roster. He made his MLB debut on April 5, giving up three runs in six innings. Pineda won his first MLB victory on April 12, 2011, but only allowed two runs, struck out seven batters, and allowed two runs. On April 28, Pineda struck out a career high nine batters against the Detroit Tigers, including the first four batters he encountered. He had a 4–1 record and a 2.01 ERA in his first month in the majors. In his first five starts, he was rated American League Rookie of the Month for April 2011, pitching at least six innings, giving up only 22 hits and 12 walks over 31+13 innings, while striking out 30 opposing batters.

Pineda was selected to play in the All-Star Game on July 10 as a replacement for Justin Verlander, who was ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game due to his appearance the day before the All-Star break. He was 8–6 at the time, but after a 3.03 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 113 innings against only 36 walks, he was 113-outs. Pineda pitched one fine inning, knocking out Scott Rolen and Rickie Weeks in the All-Star Game.

Pineda's 2011 season saw a 9-10 record and a 3.74 ERA. Over the past two months, he had no wins in his final seven starts in his career, and the Mariners slowed their workload as a precaution against an arm injury. He struck out 173 batters in 28 starts while walking just 55 over 171 innings. Pineda's was knocked out 24 percent of all batters faced, the third best strikeout percentage in MLB. He also placed fifth in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, behind Jeremy Hellickson, Mark Trumbo, Eric Hosmer, and Iván Nova, as well as teammate Dustin Ackley, who came in sixth. Pineda was the 20th best player under the age of 25 after the season, according to Keith Law.

On January 13, 2012, the Mariners traded Pineda to the New York Yankees with José Campos for Jess Montero and Héctor Noes. The Yankees wanted a top-tier starting pitcher to pair with CC Sabathia, and the Mariners felt they could afford to partner with Pineda due to their depth of top-tier pitching prospects, including Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, and Taijuan Walker.

At the start of spring training, Pineda was placed on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder, causing him to miss the 2012 season. He sustained an anterior labral tear in his right shoulder during his recovery. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on May 1, 2012, and was ruled out of the 2012 season.

Pineda started the 2013 season on the 60-day DL because he was still recovering from shoulder surgery. He was recalled from the disabled list on July 8, 2013 and optioned to the minor leagues, where he competed for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League. Pineda had a 1-1 record and a 3.86 ERA in six games for the RailRiders.

During spring training in 2014, Pineda attempted to make the Yankees' starting rotation. He was named as the Yankees' fifth starter shortly after spring training's season began. On April 5, 2014, he made his first appearance for the Yankees. Boston broadcasters noticed a substance that seemed to be pine tar on the palm of Pineda's pitching hand early in the game's early innings on April 10. The drug was removed from his hand only to be applied to his wrist midway through Pineda's outing. The umpires of the game were never alerted, and no further action was taken against Pineda, who told reporters after the game that the drug in his hand was filthy. During Pineda's next game against the Red Sox, Red Sox boss John Farrell warned the umpires of pine tar on Pineda's neck, and he was suspended from the game in the second inning. Pineda was suspended for ten games after the incident. In 19+2/3 innings pitched in his first four starts, he had an ERA of 1.83 percent.

Pineda suffered a strain in his teres major muscle, which was expected to take three to four weeks to recover when pitching in a simulated game during the suspension. Pineda's return was postponed until August after the inflammatory reaction experienced in late May. Pineda will be activated by the Yankees on August 13. Pineda had a 5-5 record and a 1.89 ERA in 76+1 2 innings on the season.

Pineda and the Yankees have agreed to a $2.1 million salary for the 2015 season, making them eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. Pineda had a career-high 16 batters over seven innings in a victory over the Baltimore Orioles on May 10, 2015, while also walking none, a career-high of ten strikeouts in a single game. With 16 strikeouts and no walks in a single game, he became the first pitcher since Johan Santana in 2007. Pineda went on the disabled list on July 30 due to a tightened flexor muscle in his right forearm. He had a 12-10 record and a 4.37 ERA in 160+239 innings from the start of the season.

Pineda and the Yankees also decided on a salary figure in 2016 without going to arbitration. Pineda's income was $4.3 million. Pineda had a 6-12 record and a career-best 4.82 ERA in the 2016 season. He made a career-high 32 starts, pitched a career-high 175+239 innings, and had a career-high 207 strikeouts despite walking only 53. With an average of 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, he led the American League. However, he has also allowed 27 home runs.

Pineda and the Yankees decided on a $7.4 million salary for the 2017 season, his first before qualifying for free agency. Pineda retired the first 20 batters against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 10, before giving up a double to Evan Longoria. The Yankees defeated the Yankees 8-1, with 11 strikeouts and one run allowed in 7-220 runs.

Pineda was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament ligament and a flexor strain in his right elbow on July 14. Pineda was 8-4 with a 4.39 ERA before the accident. On July 18, Tommy John John surgery ended his season. He became a free agent after the season.

Pineda signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Minnesota Twins on December 13, 2017. Pineda was on the 60-day disabled list after recovering from Tommy John surgery on February 17. Pineda will not pitch in 2018 due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, according to boss Paul Molitor, who revealed it on August 28, 2018.

The Twins and Pineda both started the 2019 season. Pineda was admitted to the 10-day hospitalized list with right knee tendinitis on May 28. Pineda had a 9-five record and a 4.01 ERA before being suspended without compensation for a urine test positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic commonly used for blood pressure. On appeal, the suspension had been reduced from 80 to 60 games, owing to a convincing argument that it was not used as a masking agent for a results-enhancing drug. Pineda issued a statement later that read: "I mistakenly took a medicine that was sent to me by a close friend who got it over the counter and told me it would safely help me monitor my weight." I ingested a few of these pills without the Twins' training staff's permission. traces of a drug called hydrochlorothiazide, which is a banned diuretic under baseball's testing program, were discovered during testing.

Pineda re-signed with the Twins on a two-year deal worth $20 million on December 10, 2019. Pineda returned from his suspension on September 1, 2020, leading the Twins to a 3–2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Pineda posted a 2–0 record and 3.38 ERA in five games in 2020, with 25 strikeouts in 26+2/3 innings pitched. Pineda played 22 games (21 starts) in 2021, including a 9–8 record, 3.62 ERA, and 88 strikeouts through 109+13 innings.

Pineda agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Detroit Tigers on March 19, 2022. Pineda fractured his right middle finger on May 15 and was put on the 15-day injured list. On July 1, he returned from the injured list. He missed a game on July 23 with inflammation in his right triceps and returned to the injured list. On September 1, the Tigers activated him for a start and then designated him for assignment on September 4. Pineda was 2-7 with a 5.79 ERA in 11 games, with pitching 46+2/3 innings. On September 6, he obtained waivers and became a free agent.

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