However tonight, the seemingly one question facing the Yankees, will begin to get answered and as Phil Hughes, once depicted as the next Roger Clemens takes the mound this evening after beating out Joba Chamberlain for the rotations fifth spot. Yankee fans like myself are eager to see the answer.
It still seems like yesterday when I was sitting in my New Hampshire apartment, in 2007, a sophomore in college watching MLB TV to see 'the second coming' pitch against the Rangers. On his way to a no hitter, Hughes, who hit spots like no rookie I'd ever seen released a pitch, and limped off the mound.
The rest of the story is up and down. Hughes never regained his form that season, though he did have quite the playoff performance against the Indians. Hughes won a spot in the rotation in 2008, but injuries again limited him to just 34 innings. Last season, the right hander was mostly a reliever, and did well, however it is a far cry from what the Yankees fans thought they had when Brian Cashman decided against trading him and Ian Kennedy for Johan Santana two years ago.
In no way is tonight's start, Hughes' first of the year a last chance. But a solid outing would go a long way in restoring hope in the young right hander who is quickly shedding label of youngster and could find himself with that of bust if he doesn't pan out.
His stuff is good, we saw that in relief last year, 92+ fastball, great curveball and a solid change up, but commanding those pitches will be the key and in this league, command is typically what separates the men, from the boys, or this case, the questions from the answers.
No comments:
Post a Comment