with aj, cc and swish in the clubhouse, the entire demeanor of the team has changed. they are much less uptight and i think it shows in all the late inning comebacks.
Posted by Allanfan20:
The starting pitching 1 through 4
I still haven't lost faith in Hughes. There were a lot of things I didn't like, but I thought he played some gritty ball on Friday night and the fact that he didn't have his control yet was still able to keep his team in the game by only allowing 3 runs says something.
Hopefully he gets one more chance.
I think he got hit pretty hard even though he got out of some jams. I haven't completely lost confidence in him for the long-term. I wouldn't trade him for garbage. And if Wang's not ready, I would still start Hughes. However, I struggled to write "1 through 4" instead of "1 through 3" because I'm barely confident when AJ pitches and definitely not when Hughes takes the mound.
Posted by djsunyc:
with aj, cc and swish in the clubhouse, the entire demeanor of the team has changed. they are much less uptight and i think it shows in all the late inning comebacks.
i agree, & the young kids stepping up & contributing also has a lot to do w/the excitement & energy this team shows... they're no longer sleep walking through games when they get down early... Cervelli, Pena, Melky & Gardy have really added a nice youthful jolt to this aging lineup.
Posted by TMS:
Posted by VDesai:
Cone was talking about it during the game, but when Wang comes back, why not give Hughes a shot in the pen for a bit? He was very good in the playoffs a few years ago and it will allow him to have an opportunity to build some more confidence on the major league level. What more does he have to game in AAA, and what do we have to lose with giving him a shot here?
it's not Hughes' confidence that needs work, it's his location & control... he walks way too many batters & doesn't locate where he wants to locate... that's not a good mix for a relief pitcher to have... either u keep him in the #5 starter's role & let him iron out his issues, or u put him back in AAA & let him fine tune his control.
The whole thing is Hughes' location and control was absolutely fine in AAA. In fact he's never had a problem with command in the minors. That's why I'm not sure it would do him any good to ggo back there. To some degree has gotten squeezed in the big leagues, but I think part of it is confidence and trying too hard. He will be ok, but I'd rather he get a chance to work out some of his problems on the big league level. I think focusing in on a couple innings out of the pen will boost his confidence and allow him to go back to being a potential ace starter in the long run.
Sometimes it takes guys longer- take a look at someone like Roy Halladay. He was a disaster for 2-3 seasons before he developed into the best pitcher in the AL. Hughes has 4 good pitches and is only 22. He'll get there.
Posted by VDesai:
Posted by TMS:
Posted by VDesai:
Cone was talking about it during the game, but when Wang comes back, why not give Hughes a shot in the pen for a bit? He was very good in the playoffs a few years ago and it will allow him to have an opportunity to build some more confidence on the major league level. What more does he have to game in AAA, and what do we have to lose with giving him a shot here?
it's not Hughes' confidence that needs work, it's his location & control... he walks way too many batters & doesn't locate where he wants to locate... that's not a good mix for a relief pitcher to have... either u keep him in the #5 starter's role & let him iron out his issues, or u put him back in AAA & let him fine tune his control.
The whole thing is Hughes' location and control was absolutely fine in AAA. In fact he's never had a problem with command in the minors. That's why I'm not sure it would do him any good to ggo back there. To some degree has gotten squeezed in the big leagues, but I think part of it is confidence and trying too hard. He will be ok, but I'd rather he get a chance to work out some of his problems on the big league level. I think focusing in on a couple innings out of the pen will boost his confidence and allow him to go back to being a potential ace starter in the long run.
Sometimes it takes guys longer- take a look at someone like Roy Halladay. He was a disaster for 2-3 seasons before he developed into the best pitcher in the AL. Hughes has 4 good pitches and is only 22. He'll get there.
i just don't see Hughes as having the reliever's mentality... u need a certain aggressiveness & lack of fear of failure to pitch effectively in relief, especially late in the game... if Hughes is nibbling now u definitely don't wanna have him doing that when the game's on the line in a setup role... i'd actually much rather keep him starting games as our #5 starter & put Joba back in the pen as the setup guy to regain his dominance late in games than the other way around.
I disagree...I think he's being too fine cause he knows he has to go 6 or more. If he came in as a reliever it would take the pressure of and allow him to throw heat. If you remember back in the playoffs he was throwing at least 3-4 mph faster as a reliever. He'd only have to throw his good fastball and that sick curve he came up with and not futz around with his change and cutter as much.
Actually I'm not sure why he's throwing that cutter at all b/c that's the pitch that he's been serving up meatballs on.
wasn't Coney saying he thinks he needs to develop a circle change or something that fades low & away from the lefty batters? or was he talking about someone else? anyway, i think Hughes could benefit a lot from a good changeup cuz his fastball doesn't have the zip on it to dominate ML lineups the way he maybe able to do in the minors... his success at the ML level is predicated on locating his pitches & changing speeds cuz he can't get away w/the mistakes he can get away with in AAA.
I don't think it helps him much that he throws a four seam fastball. Not much, if any, break on that one. Kid needs to get back to the minors where he can continue to develop.
What Hughes needs is to develop a changeup. The problem with Hughes right now is that he has a great breaking ball and a pretty good fastball, theres no change of pace there. Hitters come up to bat knowing either the ball is going to break or it's going to go straight, he needs a change to offset that problem.
Posted by nyk4ever:
What Hughes needs is to develop a changeup. The problem with Hughes right now is that he has a great breaking ball and a pretty good fastball, theres no change of pace there. Hitters come up to bat knowing either the ball is going to break or it's going to go straight, he needs a change to offset that problem.
I was thinking a slider like Petite throws. Looks just like the four seamer coming out of the hand...and then it's gone. He's got to get back to throwing the Slider.
[Edited by - Rookie on 05-18-2009 5:23 PM]
u only really need 1 breaking pitch & 1 change of speed pitch to go along w/ur fastball... he's already got a great 12-6 curve... the cutter he throws bores in on lefthanders... plus he's got his fastball... what he needs is a pitch that changes pace & breaks away from lefties, so a changeup is ideal... if the Yankees go ahead & move him to the bullpen, then he should work w/Edwar on learning his change, cuz he's got an excellent one.
Back to back jacks by Teix (3 run) & ARod (solo)
4-2 Yanks in the 1st
Arod's already got 4 jacks this year...homered in 3 straight. This guy is ridiculously good.
sweep coming up. arod is the best player in baseball.
Pettitte is not pitching well at all tonight. He's gonna have to fight to make it through 5 or 6.
Wow...Gomez is a pretty dirty player
Cervelli can go toe to toe with Mauer with that arm. Wow!
And Pena has a sick glove as well!
cervelli had the game winning hit yesterday if mirajes doesn't miraculously knocks it back.
he had another good hit up the middle today too.
he can actually run too for a catcher and as i type this, he just rocked a single to left.
did we just find a possible future catcher? or at least molina's replacement?
Posted by djsunyc:
cervelli had the game winning hit yesterday if mirajes doesn't miraculously knocks it back.
he had another good hit up the middle today too.
he can actually run too for a catcher and as i type this, he just rocked a single to left.
did we just find a possible future catcher? or at least molina's replacement?
He should beat out Molina easily IMO. He actually is a decent hitter. He doesn't have a lot of power, but throughout his time in the minors he has shown excellent plate discipline and has drawn his share of walks. That portends good things- strike zone control is the best indicator of a guy who can bat.
Down the line the Yankees have a lot of good catching prospects. Montero is probably gonna move, but Austin Romine is a very real prospect.
Trade Molina for some pitcher who may be able to help us in the pen. Cervelli should be the backup. We need some more youth.
