Phil Hughes update
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jul 05, 2007 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Just got an e-mail back from Phil Hughes. He threw his second session of batting practice today in Tampa today and it went well.
He is scheduled to make a rehab start for Class A Tampa on Monday at home against Dunedin then will head for Trenton and Scranton.
If Hughes has no issues, it’s possible he could join the Yankees during the last week of the month. Just keep in mind that they will be very deliberate with him.
But the fact that he is pitching in a game on Monday is certainly good news. With Kei Igawa struggling, the Yankees need Hughes in the rotation.
“I can’t wait to get back,” he wrote.
what to do with Igawa when Phil comes back?
Kei Igawa is STRUGGLING ? How about “with Kei Igawa CLEARLY NOT AN OPTION AS A MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHER: ????
What are the chances I could bribe you for Phil’s email address?
Send him to AAA. trade him or relseae him and recongize that that contract was just a bad investment anda panic move after losing Dice-K; otherwise just keep him as a mopup man
ps – Igawa needs to be released.
Fellas: you don’t release somebody you owe $20 million to. He has options, you send him down.
Given that he sucks out of the stretch, it’s probably not an option, but…
He often seems to be able to throw a halfway decent few innings his first time or so through a lineup, so would it be possible to try to groom him as a middle reliever/mop-up guy? At one point (when he pitched that gem against Boston) he was exclusively going with the stretch, so if he just stuck with that, I wonder if he could have some small worth that way.
The sad thing is, Hughes could pitch to better results than Igawa with a strained hammy and bad ankle.
I say we “Post” Igawa and have the Japanese league teams bid on him. Hey, maybe we can get some of our money back???
Let’s advertise him on craigslist as a manservant and see what we can get for him…
Cashman kept the receipt, so we can return him up to one year later.
Good news on Phil. Can’t wait to see him pitching for us again. Hopefully either July 28th or 29th in Balitmore.
I thought this post was about Hughes??? hahaha Igawa just stinks that bad!!!!
On 1050 today Michael Kay said that he thinks Joba has past Hughes on the prospect list. I find that hard to believe. Anyone lese hear him say that????
Only if you now consider Hughes a ML pitcher and not a prospect anymore which is very reasonable
I`m surprised Kay knows Joba’s name
He said he has more potential and upside than Hughes….
Kay is an idiot. Joba has a really nice fastball which is better than Hughes’, but that’s all. Hughes has: a major league fastball, a major league curveball, and a major league changeup. His minor league numbers are also a lot more dominant than Chamberlain’s, in that had Mussina-like BB/9 and at a much younger (2 years, almost) age.
Anyway, thanks Pete for the update. I guess Hughes doesn’t know you have a voodoo doll of him in your dresser drawer
All he has is a fastball?? He must have another pitch that is descent or else he would not be so highly regarded…
That’s not what I said. All Joba has THAT IS BETTER THAN HUGHES’ is his fastball. And even that’s debatable, as Hughes has excellent control/command of it, and Joba still needs work as his walk totals are a wee bit high. Joba is an amazing prospect, but to think he’s somehow ‘passed’ Hughes is ludicrous.
on a major league scale of 80, hughes curveball is a 78. my friend who plays in the minors was tellin me, its not just some blind number i made up.
I agree, Joba has a leg up when it comes to the fastball. Hughes has a better curve and a better change. Joba has plus,plus slider. Hughes supposedly has one too but hardly uses it.
At this point Hughes knows how to pitch. Joba is a bit of a thrower right now. Hughes does a better job of mixing in ALL of his pitches where as Joba gets too slider happy at times. That’s why I was really impressed with the 12 K’s in 6 innings earlier in the week by Joba. He actually pitched instead of throwing. He threw a lot more change-ups than he has in the past. Hopefully he continues to do that.
Igawa? Long relief. Take Villone’s spot.
I reported early today that Hughes would be going on Monday for Tampa.
LOVE RJ Pinstripes idea.
Kay is an idiot. I guarantee you that Kay knew nothing about Edwar Ramirez before July 3rd. Meanwhile, I’ve been writing about the guy since mid-May.
Tony Gicas of Off the Facade was in Trenton last night and posted a nice report of Joba’s outing.
Hughes hasn’t thrown the slider since high school. The Yanks tend to teach their young pitchers to throw curveballs, and they generally scrap the slider. I guess the thinking is that the slider is worse for the arm. Anyways, Joba defineatley has a great slider and an improving changeup. When you throw in the upper 90′s and have the ability to throw a quality changeup for a strike, the batter basically has no chance.
“When you throw in the upper 90’s and have the ability to throw a quality changeup for a strike, the batter basically has no chance.”
AKA, Pedro Martinez.
Andrew:
Anybody who thinks I have it out for Hughes is truly an idiot. Just because I (correctly) predicted he would be out longer than 4-6 weeks means I have it out for him? I’ve been doing this a long time, guys with Grade 2 or 3 hamstring tears are always slow coming back. I passed along that information and I’m somehow out to get the kid.
Right. Never mind that I’ve written several long, positive feature stories on him and developed a good professional relationship with him, enough so that he e-mails me back with some info. But I have a “voodoo doll”on him. Right.
Is there any point in doing this? I wonder sometimes.
Well, Iggy needs to leave. Trade him to the Cardinals. Maybe they can help the kid. Maybe we can get John Rodriguez or Rick Ankiel or something useful. I would leave Villone where he is. He doesn’t ever get a chance to pitch. It’s a good sign to know that Hughes is on the comeback trail.
Pete, you should just brush that dirt(Andrew) off your shoulder.
I definitely think moving Igawa to the bullpen could work out really well. Let him face Major league hitters, but out of the bullpen you can pick and choose who he faces. Let him build his confidence against MLB hitters.
Pete,
Yeah, you stated it would tak 8-10 weeks with that hamstring injury and it took another injury for that length of time to be correct. However, it doesn’t matter now whether you want to pat yourself on the back or not as long as Hughes returns at the end of the month. If he starts on Monday then he can have four rehab assignments and still return by the last week of July.
Phil Hughes with 3 rehab starts should get him back to the Bronx by early August in time for him to face the K.C. Royals. Meantime, Kei Igawa needs to go to Tampa for the rest of the season and get himself together. The Yankees should send him to the Arizona Fall Instructional League to see if anything can be salvaged from him. He’ll have a lot of competition next spring from good prospects ready to bust on the scene in New York.
Mark Hughes hasn’t thrown the slider since HS but he does still have it. When interviewed a couple of times and asked about what pitches he throws he does include the slider. He may not use it right away in the ML but I bet at some point he’ll start throwing it again.
Pete,
Great reporting here, going out of your way to get us some info on Phil…which you knew we were dying for. I hope you know it’s appreciated by many on the site…and yes, it is definitely worth it. Keep up the good work.
I think the voodoo doll statement was made tongue in cheek to tease you a bit….don’t take it too seriously.
Kei Igawa could be an excellent middle relief guy. Or he could be the Yankees new cabin boy. “I get to school the cabin boy tonight”…”No, you schooled him last night, I get to school him tonight”…
My thoughts regarding these players and the July 31st deadline…at what point does the front office look for next season and beyond? Will they say uncle? The Sox did it last year and leaned into this year at the break it seems to have paid off. Do you think the Yankees will trade the farm for another proven outsider to try to getto the post season? They are 8 games back in the wild card…but, have lacked any consistency or momentum. Will it a take a big July? The Yankees were great when they rebuilt the farm, bought a few key vets and made their run. Now, the win at all costs seems to be asking for the payday…the chickens have come home to roost. The Red Sox, A’s, Tigers, Twins and Indians seem to have much more depth on the farm and have many options that the Yankees do not. Any of those teams can dangle and deal for July 31st or go with what they got… Hughes is the real deal and if the Yanks deal him I would just shake my head….
pete-
You dont “have it out” for phil. But there was a sort of “i told you so” that oozed through your writing when you proclaimed how long phil would be out.
Does anyone know what day Phil might pitch in Trenton? I’m going on the 14th and that would be awesome if he pitched that day.
Philip Hughes back in the Yanks’ rotation can’t come soon enough……especially after Igawa couldn’t hold a 5-2 lead yesterday!!
Thank God for GODZILLA….to Save the DAY!!
He can’t come back to soon. I can’t look at another start for igwa . send him to tampa and don’t care if i never see him again.
A $45 million investment for a batting practice pitcher…nice.
Iggy
Farnesworth
They both should be traded for a subway sandwich, but only if they include the drink and chips!