It will be a struggle for him to remain healthy. There isn't anyone else in MLB between the age of 18 and 25 who've thrown more innings than this guy. He's got a lot of mileage on that arm and many believe he'll spend some time on the DL this season. Plus the fact he's used to pitching every 7 days instead of every 5. I'm also very curious on how he'll look once he's been around the league once or twice when hitters have started to get used to his throwing.
Pineda looked good yesterday. He must remain healthy in order for the Yankees to have a chance at contending, since they can't hit much. But one thing i did notice about Pineda is his pitching motion. It seems to be very rough on his shoulder and i'm no longer surprised why he hasn't pitched much over the past two years due to arm problems. If i'm the Yankees i start to work on improving his pitching motion in order to reduce the wear n' tear on that right shoulder. But this would have to be done during the off-season or in the minors. Let's hope for him (and the Yankees) that he manages to pitch in at least 20 games this season and not spend half the season on the DL again.
As for Mark Texeira, i was correct that he would be heading (again!) to the DL. If i'm the Yankees, i try to trade this guy as soon as he gets healthy again. His value may never be higher (even though it's currently not very high anyway) and he's likely to spend more time on the DL considering his age and his past history with his body continuing to break down.
As for Derek Jeter, i feel sorry for him. He should have retired after last season. He's a shadow of what he once was and i hope this season won't do too much damage to his legacy.
I was also surprised to see Kelly Johnson in the Yankees lineup. I didn't even think he was still playing in MLB. I thought he was in Japan or something. I remember him playing for the Blue Jays a few years ago. Decent second baseman....decent range and decent arm. But a strikeout king at the plate. I was even more surprised to see him at first base yesterday. I knew he could play the infield and a bit of outfield, but first base?? Is he the best #2 first baseman that the Yankees have?
These predictions and summations sound like they could have been ghost written by someone else we all know. And they will look silly since it is so early in the season.
I am only going to comment on one of the players you mentioned:
1. Jeter. Jeter played well the last year he was well. He had a great year at the age of 38. He batted .316, scored 99 runs, hit 15 home runs and 216 hits. He was out because of injury most of last year. He returns at age 40 and he has announced before the season, like Mariano Rivera did, that the season would be his last playing season in the big leagues. So how is this season going to tarnish his legacy? He will finish with Hall of Fame statistics no matter what.
Do you want to know what hanging on looks like?
Carl Yastrzemski
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yastrca01.shtml
Yaz played until age 43. From 40 to 43, the great Yastrzemski averaged 12 HR, 58 RBI, .261 BA.
Willie Mays:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mayswi01.shtml
We all remember Willie Mays in the Mets outfield not being able to throw the ball in. Mays played to 42.
Both of these guys are thought as The Best, legitimately belonging in the Hall of Fame.
How can you say that Jeter can do damage to his legacy? It's one of those statements that just can't be backed up.
And I have a prediction for you. I bet Jeter has a decent year hitting at least .280, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did hit .300 one more time, but I am not expecting him to hit .300.
