Okay, so I know Joel Pineiro isn't our first choice for offseason pitching but I'm not sure why everyone is freaking out over him. Sure, he had a career year last year and might not produce nearly as well next season but he is not an awful pitcher. Everyone is saying that he won't be as effective as he was last season. Okay, let's say he isn't as effective... then he'd pitch just as Jon Garland or Jason Marquis would've pitched. If he does produce, he'll give us strength in our rotation. It's basically a win-win...
A lot of people are saying they'd want Jon Garland over Pineiro, and were saying the same about Marquis. The thing is, they all have the same ERA which is around the 4.40s. Pineiro, a ground-ball pitcher at Citi Field, with a defense of Wright, Reyes, Bay, Beltran, Francoeur, and maybe even Hudson, can be very good. Plus, I think he has the most upside out of Garland and Marquis coming off a career year.
Yes, Dave Duncan was a factor in his success. But Dave Duncan did not pitch 214 innings. Dave Duncan did not win 15 games. Dave Duncan did not earn a 3.49 ERA. And Dave Duncan did not give up just 11 homeruns. Pineiro did. Pineiro will be fine in Citi Field and be sturdy.
