Pitcher Joel Pineiro-The Next Boston Red Sox Closer?

The Boston Red Sox made a very quiet signing right after the New Year began when they inked former Seattle pitcher Joel Pineiro to a one year deal with an option for 2008. Joel Pineiro once looked like he was going to be the ace of the Mariners' rotation for years, but after a very successful first three years in the majors, he has fizzled. Arm troubles after a very solid start to his career took the luster off of the 28 year old Pineiro's star, but in Boston he could jumpstart his career, especially if Joel emerges as the closer the team so desperately needs. That could make this gamble by the Red Sox on Joel Pineiro one of the biggest factors in what is shaping up as another exciting American League East race in 2007.

Born in Puerto Rico in September of 1978, Joel Pineiro went to high school in Florida, where he lettered in baseball for three years. He was named the Orange County Athlete of the Year in 1996 and went on to attend Edison Community College where he was the Florida Junior College Pitcher of the Year in 1997. The Mariners took Pineiro in the 12th round of the 1997 amateur draft and in just 52 innings that year he had 63 strikeouts in their lower minor league system. By the end of 1998, Joel had been named the Mariners' 6th best minor league pitching prospect by Baseball America.

As a 22 year old, Pineiro took his lumps when he jumped to the Double A Eastern League, leading the circuit with 15 losses in 1999. But the next season Pineiro went 9-1 in his first 18 starts split between New Haven and Triple A Tacoma, and Seattle brought him up to the big club where he made his major league debut in August. He wound up going 1-0 in eight games. Pineiro's 2001 campaign was outstanding, as he went 6-2 for Seattle, splitting time between the bullpen and the rotation. At one point, the six-foot-one 180 pound right-hander retired 51 consecutive righty hitters in a row, the longest such skein in the majors since such records were kept, dating back to 1975.