Phil Hughes is both exceptional and an exception.
The lanky 20 year old right-hander has got New York Yankee fans salivating at the prospect of following in the long line of great pin stripe pitchers.
The Yanks themselves obviously feel that way, which is why the Californian has been taken off the table when other teams come talking trade. Thus far, the line of clubs is 29 deep.
Its a remarkable departure from the way that the Yankees have traditionally treated their top minor league talent: Recruit them, groom them, then shove them out the door in order to make some quick fix trade.
Hughes’ handling by the Yanks in their Double-A incubator in Trenton has been attentive: They have kept him on a rigid 80 pitch limit in each of his starts, which means that he leaves no matter the game situation.
Philip was pulled from one game in Portland while clutching a 10 run lead, even though he needed just one more out to earn the win.
Hughes says that he is appreciative of the Yankees’ watchful ways.
"I'd love to be out there for seven (or so) innings,” Hughes said. At the same time, I know they have my best interests in mind... My job is to go out and pitch whenever they let me pitch.
"Obviously I'd like to get there as soon as I can. But I know they're going to take their time with me, and make sure I'm ready.”
Hughes’ arm can paint the black with 95 mph heat. He also has a knack for baffling a hitter with a 72 mph changeup.
It is the off-speed stuff that Hughes feels needs the most work.
"The goal has been to mix in more changeups. I've been doing that. I have confidence in it. Whether or not it's on any certain day is kind of in the air, but it's not going to get any better unless you throw it in a game. It's something I need to do. "
Catcher Jason Brown gets to watch Hughes from the best seat in the house: Behind the plate.
"It's a lot of fun watching him pitch. He's special,” says Brown. “He's a young guy, and he's got great stuff. A lot of ability, and he's going to do nothing but get better. He's got confidence, and you can tell by the way he handles himself on the mound, and getting guys out."
To Hughes, who has supreme confidence in his pitches, the challenge is to use them judiciously throughout the grind of a game.
"In the beginning," he said, "I think I was pretty tentative. Now I've gone back to the mentality of attacking the hitters. I haven't been afraid to miss. I'm more confident in my stuff, and that's why I've been having more success. I've been able to settle in more and string together (several) good starts. It's a good sign, and I'm just looking to progress and get better."
Hughes is one of our rare Yankee picks because he seems to have a fit in the organization's future plans. We see him having a window of opportunity for the majors during the latter part of 2007, or possibly sooner if the Boss has a melt-down over one of those long Yankee losing streaks where heads start rolling. He debuts on the MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 rankings at 45.
- Dan HICKLING
