WHY YOU CAN'T GIVE UP ON "STARTER" PHIL HUGHES

A lot of Yankee fans have lost faith in Phil Hughes, as he was supposed to be a bona fide ace by now, and based on what he's accomplished in his big league career thus far--most notably his 2011 season--he hasn't come close. With that said, I still believe that this kid still deserves a shot as a starting pitcher.

Before I make my case on Hughes, let's look at his numbers so far in his MLB career...

• 120 games, 71 starts, 36-23, 4.46 ERA, 443.2 innings, 7.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 1.30 WHIP

• Now, let's look at Hughes' career splits as a starter and reliever...

• Starter: 71 starts, 30-21, 4.90 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 3.25 BB/9, 1.36 WHIP

• Reliever: 49 games, 6-2, 1.44 ERA, 11.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 0.90 WHIP

Hughes has clearly been better as a reliever than as a starter, but that doesn't mean he should be banished to the bullpen for good. I have a lot of optimism and faith in Phil Hughes, and I believe he can be a quality starter for the Yankees. Not an ace like the scouts thought he could be years ago, but a solid number three, or even a number two starter.

You know, there have been some big name starters in recent memory who have had a similar lack of success in the beginning of their careers just like Hughes. Take a look...

• Roy Halladay: 74 games, 49 starts, 18-17, 4.95 ERA, 336.1 innings, 6.3 K/9, 4 BB/9, 1.53 WHIP

• Cliff Lee: 129 games, 125 starts, 54-36, 4.64 ERA, 741.2 innings, 6.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.37 WHIP

• Chris Carpenter: 152 games, 135 starts, 49-50, 4.83 ERA, 870.2 innings, 6.3 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.51 WHIP

As we all know, those guys turned it around, to say the least. Am I saying that just because those guys turned it around means that Hughes will do the same just because? No, I'm not. All I'm saying is that you can't give up on him just yet. Even some of the best have been down the same road. The guy has talent and we've seen it in flashes over the last few years, but to get back on track he needs to come into camp in shape this year. I wrote a piece titled WHY THE OFFSEASON IS VITAL FOR HUGHES. The main point of that piece was for Hughes to come into camp in shape, and not looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy, and sure enough, he already got a head start on his off-season workouts already. Read more HERE.Look, it's pretty clear that the Yankees won't win the bidding for Yu Darvish--Read WHY THE YANKEES DIDN'T WOO YU--so it looks as though Phil Hughes may very well be starting for the Yankees in 2012 as it is. Now, of course there is a chance that the Yankees could sign or trade for another starting pitcher, thus making it doubly difficult on Hughes to crack the rotation, but for now, Hughes is a starting pitcher, and I hope he remains a starting pitcher.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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