HUGHES ISN'T FOOLING ANYONE. SHOULD PHELPS START?

Should David Phelps start? Maybe he should. I support Phil Hughes, I have for awhile now but something's got to give here. Hughes has been hyped for a long time now. The Yankees expect big things out of him, the fans do and so do I. I think he has what it takes to be a starter, but maybe he isn't making the adjustments he needs. On Saturday night, he just didn't have his stuff. In fact, he only had one swing and miss. Only one. He wasn't fooling the Orioles. Hopefully, he isn't fooling the fans because a lot of us still believe in him. We just need him to step it up.

I can't hep but wonder what might happen to Hughes after this year. His time in the Bronx is ticking fast and unless he turns it around quickly, I have a feeling the Yankees won't even think twice about just letting him walk at the end of the season. Hughes is supposed to be the Golden boy. When I think about that phrase I see lots of wins and frustrated hitters. His last start there were some frustrated faces, but they weren't Orioles. It looked like Hughes was throwing batting practice out there and eventually the fans let him know how frustrated he was by booing him as he left the field. I guess that is what happens when you only last 3 innings, give up 9 hits with 5 earned runs.

Hughes spot in the rotation may be safe for now, but if this keeps up should David Phelps take his spot? He did a good job cleaning up the mess Hughes made in the 4th inning. After he came into the game he did a good job keeping the Orioles from scoring more runs. He gave the Yankees a chance to come back.

No disrespect to Hughes, but if this continues and he can't pitch effectively deep into games, why does he deserve the starting spot? We have talked about this before at BYB. David Phelps has been a bright spot in the bullpen.

(In Photo: Freddy Garcia, 2012)
He can pitch for multiple innings and he is effective. Last year we saw the same sort of situation when Freddy Garcia was struggling. We were all pulling for Phelps to get the opportunity to make starts, read WHY DAVID PHELPS DESREVES HIS STARTING ROLE and eventually it did happen. I hate bouncing pitchers back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation. I just don't think it is healthy for any pitcher, and I still think Joba Chamberlain is a good example of that. Phelps is good and can pitch in either spot, but shouldn't he be rewarded for his work by starting?

I feel a little torn with this. I like Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes a lot, but if they continue to struggle then Yankee Brass should reward Phelps by giving him a starting gig. Even though Hughes may have more experience in the major leagues, he has not been effective. Last year we watched him o through a stage where he was "cutter happy" and it didn't work, hitters thrived. We also saw him go to the fastball too much. I like his fastball, but it is very hittable when he uses it too often. He also struggles to locate it at times. Phelps on the other hand, has been mixing his pitches in better and he has command on the mound. Until some of our big bats come back we need our pitching to be on point, and the back end of the rotation has to do its part also.

I think Phelps is more than just a long man. He is proving himself, and the more he does the more concerns fans will have about the back end of the rotation. I don't necessarily believe that Hughes belongs in the bullpen but I just don't know how the Yankees can afford to keep someone reliable in a long relief role and cross their fingers hoping for the best. I hope Phil Hughes proves us all wrong, and that this is his career year. It's only April, show us what you got Hughes!

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ

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