Vinnie Pestano recalled by Cleveland Indians

At one point in time, Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Vinnie Pestano was considered the “next big thing”, not only just in the Cleveland bullpen, but as one of the best young relievers in all of the American League. On Friday, the team ended his sabbatical in triple-A by recalling the now 29-year-old Pestano back to the Major Leagues.

Pestano made three appearances in the big leagues before being demoted to triple-A in early April, and frankly, he was an utter mess. In those three outings (covering 2.2 innings), the right-hander posted a 13.50 ERA and more importantly, his velocity was down nearly 10 miles per hour from his peak in the earlier part of the decade. Fortunately for both Pestano and the Indians, he has been much more effective (1.78 ERA, 1.75 FIP, 11.37 K/9, 2.49 BB/9) since arriving in the minors, and he may be able to duplicate that success at the highest level.

It has been a relatively long time since Vinnie Pestano was considered to be an absolutely elite reliever, but in more than 130 innings in 2011 and 2012, he posted an ERA in the mid-2.00’s with lights-out peripherals. Quite obviously, the “stuff” is the most important thing for Pestano at this stage in his career, but at only 29 years old, there is reason to believe that he has rediscovered the magic, and he will have every opportunity to prove himself with the Indians in the near future.