“Heartbroken” Pineiro Pulls out of WBC, Slams Oquendo
JUPITER, FLA — Cardinals fifth starter Joel Pineiro this morning announced he will not play for Team Puerto Rico after its manager, Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo, informed him he would not be part of his three-man rotation for next month’s World Baseball Classic.
Pineiro, who started for Oquendo’s overachieving national team during the inaugural ‘06 event, described himself as “heartbroken” over Oquendo’s decision, adding that pitching out of the bullpen would not make sense because it would disrupt his conditioning for the upcoming regular season.
“I was very disappointed, very heartbroken. I felt disrespected,” Pineiro said prior to this morning’s workout at Roger Dean Stadium. “Everybody knows that there have been only two pitchers in Puerto Rico the past 8-10 years who have been consistent starters, Javier Vazquez and myself. To hear that from [Oquendo], it was such a setback. I’m very disappointed. I can’t believe I’m talking to you guys about this.”
Pineiro said he already had purchased plane tickets for his family for events leading up to the tournament and for the Miami games.
“I feel bad for my country, for Puerto Rico, and for the teammates I would have had over there,” Pineiro said. “I talked to most of the guys over there and they know I’m doing the right thing.”
Oquendo first approached Pineiro about his role on Saturday. Pineiro construed the comments as a joke. But it later sunk in that Oquendo intended to use Ian Snell and Jonathan Sanchez along with Vazquez.
“From there on, that’s it. The last two days I’ve talked to the family and other players. Obviously, it’s my thing to start. I’ve been doing it my whole career,” Pineiro said. “As a Puerto Rican guy I’ve been doing it the last eight years. Why not know? What happened in ‘06? How come I started in ‘06?”
Oquendo found himself in an unenviable position. The Cardinals clearly hoped Pineiro would remain in camp rather than participate in the WBC. However, clubs are not allowed to prohibit participation. At one point, Oquendo noted Pineiro “needed to be here.”
Asked if he felt Cardinals manager Tony La Russa or pitching coach Dave Duncan influenced Oquendo’s decision, Pineiro said, “It could have but those words never came out of Jose Oquendo.”
“I hope he just moves on. I hope he uses this as a chip on his shoulder and wins us 20 games,” Oquendo said.
As for Pineiro’s claim of disrespect, Oquendo said, “I don’t think I disrespected him. I had to make a decision what was best for Puerto Rico.”
(20 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)
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So what do you think is the over/under on Pinero’s stay not only in the Cards rotation but on the Cards roster. I say the first sign of struggle and out goes Pinero and in comes either McClellen,Thompson or Boggs.
I have nothing against him personally, but I hope Pinero IS on the way out. He’s even worse than Brett Tomko.
Piniero sucks as a back back up 5th starter…even our coaches agree on this…our management is just too cheap to get a better 5th starter…
The World Baseball Classic is becoming a problem for MLB. Specifically, managers and GM’s are no longer able to prepare their pitching staff the way they would like. Despite the millions invested, MLB wants to see the WBC work at all costs. Not only do I wish that Cardinal players from all countries would skip this useless event that is barely watched on television, but I would love to see our coaches focus exclusively on the season. Oquendo is also well paid, and regardless of Piniero’s current abilities, Oquendo just caused friction for our squad. This is another reason to pray for the end of this silly tournament.
Joel Piniero is not very good.
Tell Pinero that I too am heartbroken that I am not pitching for the U.S Team but I am not going to be a crybaby. I am going back to work at my $20,000/year job while he can be happy being disrespected (like who cares) with his millions
Hey, so-called “diehardcardsfan” I have some news for you… The current #1 pitcher on the staff has a last name, and it happens to be WAINWRIGHT. Go ahead, spell it, learn it, and don’t slap a nickname on a guy who doesn’t want a nickname that sounds like a drain opener.
It’s a sad / tough situation for Joel and O’Quendo. From Joels perspective, he believes he can pitch and is worthy of the assignment represent his Country. I can respect that. After all he is a MLB pitcher. All MLB players have a competitive nature about them or they would not be there. The question that only he can answer is will he get over the disappointment and not be a distraction to the team. It will be tough. Then there is O’Quendo. This had to be an easy decision for him as well as a hard one. Easy in the sense that it is apparent that O’Quendo makes decisions based on what he thinks is best. He does not play the favorites game. It had to be hard on him because he knew what it meant to Pineiro for him to pitch in the WBC. It’s tough on both of them. Piniero has to refocus as crushed as his heart is he will have to will have to put his feelings aside. The best of Professionals will do that, while them that are more sensitive will not.
Randy, get a clue. Clint Yates, learn about baseball before commenting. The major league club does not cater to the player in situations like this. Exactly how is Piniero useful to the Cards as the fifth starter, which he will unfortunately be, if he leaves spring training to sparingly represent his country as a middle reliever? He needs all the practice he can get, and it’s not Oquendo’s job to keep Piniero happy, it’s his job to help win games. If Joel was better than Sanchez or Snell, either of whom I’d rather have on the Cardinals, he’d be pitching for Puerto Rico. He’s not. Oquendo made the right choice for the Cardinals and for Puerto Rico. Jose didn’t disrespect him. And to answer Joel’s own question about why he started in ‘06: Sanchez was a just a rookie then, and you were only 3 seasons removed from being good. Now you are 6 seasons removed from being good, so it shouldn’t be so surprising.
To JP
If you love your “country” of Puerto Rico so dearly, why not contribute a hefty portion of your $7 million to your nation’s poor. Not too long ago one of the world’s worst slums, Fongito graced your homeland’s shores. Maybe help out there rather than wail the blues about not starting.