GUESS WHERE PHIL HUGHES MAY BE HEADED?

At risk of sounding like a complete pessimist, I think the clock is ticking on Phil Hughes. Soon he may turn into a pumpkin much like in Cinderella and that glass slipper will disappear too. Not to sound cheesy, but in this case his starter role could magically turn into a relief role. The clock is ticking, and Hughes has been choking. Just like the old saying goes, there is always someone waiting in the wings to take your spot.

In this case, Michael Pineda is waiting in the wings. (Read MICHAEL PINEDA IS ON FIRE!) He has a ways to go still since he is working on his 30 day rehab assignment, but at this point it makes sense. Hughes had yet another bad start on Wednesday. Sure, he lasted 6 innings but he gave up 5 runs and 10 hits in the process. He looked awful. There is no sugar coating it anymore. I have to believe that the Yankees are going to focus a lot on Pineda and when the time is right, they are going to drop him into the rotation and send bump Hughes. The Hughes experiment is officially a broken record. It takes a lot for me to say it. I know some gave up long before I did. It's just insane to think that something is going to change. And in this case, continuing to run with the same rotation and expect different results is insane and it is going to really hurt this team.

The Yankees needed Hughes to shine this year, we wrote about it in PHIL HUGHES MUST BE ON IN 2013. No time for regression. With all of the question marks surrounding the team this year we needed him to provide that stability. We needed Hughes from 2010. We needed the All Star! We wanted the 18 wins, too. It hasn't been the same since that season.

Every pitcher fights their battles, and starting and relieving are two different mindsets. I cant help but think that 2009 really was the Golden Boy we keep referring to. The Hughes that came out of the bullpen looked so different. He had command, he had presence....he had confidence. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I have officially changed my mind. Hughes belongs in the bullpen and when Pineda gets back....that is where he should go. It's not a new idea, we haven't written much about this in a long time but Casey had a lot to say about it in 2011, read WHY PHIL HUGHES BELONGS IN THE BULLPEN for more. He had good points back then. Sure, it's not the same team but it makes sense to me.

Fans have been waiting for the Hughes of 2009 to come back. We have been patient, but it is hard to watch "Home Run" Hughes take the mound. Last year he gave up 35 home runs. So far this season, he has given up 13. He is on his way to putting up similar stats again. He doesn't mix in his pitches, gets too fastball happy and cant seem to put together quality starts. I watch every night hoping to see him toss that game where he goes 7 innings and keeps hitters off balance. I wait to see the fly balls stay in the park rather than over the wall. I think back to the complete game that Hughes threw once upon a time and wonder what happened to THAT pitcher? I know he has it in him, but he just cant seem to put together starts like that.

I think the Yankees need a change. This team as a whole needs a shakeup because the offense and the pitching aren't clicking. It's up to the pitcher to keep their team in the game. Right now giving up 4 or 5 runs is a struggle to come back from. I pray that it changes sooner rather than later, but eventually the Yankees need to make that move. I think the bullpen is the way to go. The bullpen is familiar territory and maybe this move is long overdue.

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


 

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