Michael Pineda owns a 3-8 record and an ugly 5.38 ERA. Dude must be struggling -- right?
Wrong.
Pineda has actually been the best pitcher in the American League.
That’s right.
| Pitcher | SIERA | Yahoo Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Pineda | 3.38 | 74% |
| Corey Kluber | 3.51 | 98% |
| Chris Sale | 3.54 | 99% |
| Matt Shoemaker | 3.71 | 50% |
| Justin Verlander | 3.72 | 93% |
Pineda is being incredibly undervalued right now.
If he’s on your waiver wire, please fix that, and if he’s owned, you should be trying to acquire him via trade. Despite his excellent advanced metrics, Pineda’s ERA and win-loss record are bogging down his value.
Pineda pitching well is certainly no fluke, either. In fact, Pineda’s 3.38 SIERA ties a career-worst mark.
What he’s doing this year better than he ever has is getting swings and misses. Pineda’s 13.9% swinging-strike rate and 27.2% strikeout rate are both career-best numbers, in addition to ranking among the game's best.
Over his career, when Pineda has been healthy, he’s dealt, owning a sparkling 3.29 SIERA over 503 1/3 innings. He's healthy, and he's dealing.