#LittleMike

So far, Michael Pineda has had a fairly pedestrian start to the 2015 season. After pitching really well in 2014 (1.89 ERA in 76 innings), then dominating this spring, many expected him to get off to a very fast start for the Yanks.

He hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been good either. He's come away with the "win" in two of his three starts. However, his ERA sits at 5.00 on the dot, but with a 2.56 FIP. That will all balance out. His second start against Baltimore was likely his best, although he gave up 5 ER, he had 9 Ks/0 BBs and looked really sharp. He just made a few mistake and the Orioles made him pay.

What impressed me about yesterday's outing against the Rays was that he clearly didn't have his best stuff, including a very rare walk (to the leadoff hitter no less!), but he battled, found a way to hold the Rays down, and gave the team a chance to win. To me, that's a sign of maturity, something Big Mike seemed to have lack over the course of his young career. He figured out how to battle and kept his team close when he wasn't as sharp as usual. Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens used to say that those wins meant the most to them.

So Big Mike hasn't quite been big yet, but he hasn't been awful either. The Yanks have won each game he has pitches, and as the weather warms up, I expect Big Mike to as well.

The card above is actually a mini (hence, Little Mike) from 2014 Topps Mini. It's a gold parallel #'d 32/63. I got a great deal on this card, along with an ARod, which is now in the hands of Zippy Zappy. It's my 101st different Pineda card.