Hughes has been brilliant so far, yielding just 10 hits in his 25 innings of work, sporting a 3-0 record and a 1.44 ERA. Yankee fans are finally seeing the oft-talked about talents of the former first round pick come to fruition, albeit years after comparisons to Roger Clemens captured the awe of the pinstripe pride.
In fact Hughes may resemble Mussina much more than he does "The Rocket". A low-mid 90s fastball that cuts and ducks a variety of ways and a curveball that generally goes north to south, but can also be found going east to west when the situation calls. But as many have pointed out, it's his changeup that has transformed the pitcher from a guy the Yanks' "shoulda" traded for Johan Santana to a guy that if the season ended today would be the number three man in the Yankees playoff rotation.
Still, it is more the idea of Hughes' changeup that has changed than the pitch itself. Watching his last start, a 7 inning 4 hit shutout against the White Sox, I noticed that his arm slot changes when throwing the pitch, something that hitters will notice as time goes by, but still, it is one more thing to pay attention to for hitters.
Remember people, he's 23 years old and the changeup is a new pitch for him. What happens if he develops it more? What happens if he gets better command of his other pitches? Both of these things will happen and the Red Sox tonight will get the first glimpse of a dominant Yankee starter, because Hughes is a new pitcher.
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