TAMPA — The man who knows Michael Pineda better than any Yankees employee believes the towering right-hander has what it takes to master the changeup.
“In the minor leagues in 2010 his changeup was more effective than the slider,’’ Mariners pitching coach Carl Willis told The Post yesterday via phone from Arizona. “Last year we attacked the slider in spring training because the American League never saw him and it played up. But he will get a good feel for the changeup. He listens and is a hard worker.’’
Pineda was acquired from Seattle with Jose Campos for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi.
Adding a changeup to go with a mid-90s fastball and biting slider is the 6-foot-7, 280-pound Pineda’s challenge during spring training.
It’s a pitch general manager Brian Cashman labeled “below average’’ when camp opened.
And while it might be too early to call the 23-year-old Pineda a “top of the rotation’’ arm, the hope is someday he will develop into that. For that to happen he needs a third pitch.
A year ago when Pineda was 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA in 28 games, fanned 173 in 171 innings and walked 55, he went to the changeup more in the second half, so it’s not like he is starting from scratch with pitching coach Larry Rothschild.
Yet, less than three percent of his 2,677 pitches last season were changeups.
After beating the Phillies on June 17, Pineda won only twice the rest of the season in 14 starts. A more effective changeup thrown more often might have kept hitters from locking in on Pineda’s fastball and slider.
In a twist of fate, Willis is connected to Pineda and Yankees ace CC Sabathia, who has offered to tutor Pineda about the changeup he learned from Willis.
Willis was Cleveland’s pitching coach when Sabathia was moving through the minor leagues and the Indians’ brass, according to Sabathia, forced the changeup on him.
“Coming up at the lower levels it was a challenge because he didn’t need it,’’ Willis said of Sabathia. “It was something he picked up quickly once he got to the major leagues.’’
Early this morning on the main diamond at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Sabathia and Pineda will throw live batting practice to over-matched hitters.
Asked if it were an opportunity to evaluate Pineda, manager Joe Girardi said it wasn’t.
“It’s still too early for that. The first time a hitter gets in there you want [the pitcher] to feel comfortable,’’ Girardi said. “It’s a different look than what they have had the last three or four months. Then there is the screen in front of them, which a lot of them don’t like. I don’t make too much of it. My biggest concern is that they throw strikes and don’t hit people.’’
Yet, the time is coming when the Yankees want to see Pineda throw changeups that fool hitters because they didn’t give up Montero’s power potential for a two-pitch pitcher, which is usually one pitch short of being a successful starting pitcher.