Not that long ago, three years ago, to be exact, Phil Hughes was penciled in by a lot of Yankee fans out there to be the heir apparent to Mo. Problem is, they jumped the gun, though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t one of those people who said Hughes would be Mo’s heir apparent. But honestly, can you really blame them? In 2009 as Mariano’s setup man, Hughes pitched to a 1.40 ERA, 11.4 K/9 rate, 2.2 BB/9 rate, and 0.85 WHIP in 44 games, contrast to the seven starts he made that year going 3-2 with a 5.45 ERA, 8 K/9 rate, 3.9 BB/9 rate, and 1.50 WHIP. In 2009 Hughes clearly became the Yankees “Golden Boy” with his spectacular work out of the ‘pen.
Unfortunately for Hughes, times have changed. His stock is near rock bottom right now since he’s coming off a brutal 2011 season full of injuries and less-than-stellar results on the mound. No one knows what his future holds at this point. Is he a starter? Is he a reliever? For now, it seems as though he may make the team as the number five starter, but by no means is it a lock that he’ll last the season as a starter. He could struggle as a starter like in the first part of ’09 and could be shifted back to the bullpen for good.If Hughes ends up in the bullpen he would have a very good chance, in my opinion, to become Rivera’s heir apparent. If you read our piece profiling David Robertson’s case, which is titled WHY HOUDINI WILL BE THE NEXT MARIANO, you’d know that DRob’s walk problems and lack of efficiency could be a problem. He has a career 4.7 BB/9 rate and 18.9 P/IP rate, which could very well prevent him from getting the closer’s role. Hughes, on the other hand, is very efficient as a reliever, walking just 2.7 per nine innings while throwing 16.5 pitches per inning. This is something that could put Hughes ahead of Robertson in the race as the next closer.
There’s no telling what Hughes will do in 2012. For all we know, he could pitch like his first half 2010 form as a starting pitcher for the entire season and he could be a member of the Yankees’ rotation for years to come. Or, he could crap out like last year as a starter early, get shifted to the bullpen, move up in the pecking order, and before you know it he’s Mo’s successor. I’ve been behind Hughes in the past, and I view him as a starter, but I’ve been wrong before, so I’m not going to rule anything out at this point.
--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse
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