Hughes Clues

Much ignored in wake of the deaths of both Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner is the success of the Yankees' pitching rotation. Of course, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte have produced as always, but Phil Hughes (right) has emerged to infuse youth into the staff.

He grew up in California, just minutes away from Angels Stadium. Hughes, the son of a Vietnam War veteran, was instilled with the values of hard work from a young age. Heading into his sophomore season in high school, unfortunately, he rode the bench. Hughes was small, scrawny kid, and the consensus of coaches believed that his future was certainly not in baseball. All such opinions changed during that spring, however. Hughes grew six inches, and he would go on to lead his high school team for the next three seasons.

In 2004, Hughes entered the draft as a surefire first round pick, and the Angels had the 12th overall pick. With this in mind, Hughes’s dad had told Anaheim's front office that his son would sign immediately following his selection. The Angels, on the other hand, decided to draft star college pitcher Jered Weaver from Long Beach State. Needless to say, the entire Hughes family was crushed.

The 6 foot 5 inch pitcher dropped to the New York Yankees at number 23 in the first round. Although the family was noted Red Sox fans, Hughes signed with the club soon after.

In his first three professional seasons, he excelled in the minor leagues, to say the least. Averaging over 10 strikeouts per nine innings, Hughes drew comparisons to fellow Yankee great, Roger Clemens. Added New York slugger Jason Giambi in 2006, “He's young, but that fastball, it's late. I don't care what the radar gun says, it seems like it's on top of you. He's got good stuff."

Come 2007, Hughes was producing on the major league level as a starting pitcher. Yes, his ERA was 4.46, but the power right hander struck out 7 batters per nine innings. His walk totals weren’t too high, as well, especially for a then-21 year old rookie. Nevertheless, Hughes began the subsequent year in the minor leagues. He again made his way into the Yankees’ rotation by September, but various injuries caused Hughes to struggle in 2008. He walked almost as many batters as he struck out, and the Mission Viejo native had an ERA upwards of six. At season’s end, the Yankees decided to send Hughes to the Arizona Fall League for extra repetition.

Hughes found a role on the major league roster in 2009. He was responsible for the 8th inning, acting as a bridge to Mariano Rivera. Obviously, Hughes did his job well enough. The Yankees went on to win their 27th World Series Championship, but the once hailed prospect failed to dominate big league hitters. In short, Hughes seemed to not be living up to his hype.

All questions were answered this season. Hughes found himself as the team’s number five starter on Opening Day, and he has relished the role. Through 91 games, the former setup man is 11-2 with a 3.65 ERA. Hughes, furthermore, was named to the American League All-Star team. The game itself this year was played in Anaheim, just minutes away from Hughes's hometown. Granted, the best indicator of his dominance is that Hughes has totaled more strikeouts than hits allowed in 2010.

So, why has Hughes suddenly broken out in his sixth year of professional baseball? Well, the answer is maturity, in my opinion. At 24 year old, he has learned to truly pitch to hitters, manipulating them with his pitches. In terms of pitching repertoire, nothing has changed. Hughes’s location might be a bit improved, yet his trio of fastball, curveball and changeup had always been tough to handle. In the words of manager Joe Girardi, “He has become a man.”


-Hamzah Raza