Starting pitchers threw live batting practice to hitters today, and Phil Hughes caught everyone's attention. Jason Giambi called him a "young Rocket," and he mentioned several times that Hughes "could have really helped us last year." The Yankees insist Hughes won't break camp with them this year, but I don't think there's any doubt he will be in the majors this year. Get ready to read a lot of Hughes stories off this.
Okay, I received an email requesting more info on the Hughes outing, so here goes: he pitched to Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Todd Pratt and Raul Chavez. By my count only two of about 35 pitches were hit into fair territory. As for the other pitchers, Kei Igawa was wild and rushed. Pitching coach Ron Guidry approached him in the clubhouse and stressed to him to slow down. Carl Pavano came out to the Rocky theme followed by that song, "Been a long time since I rocked and rolled." He looked fine. Sanchez also was a bit wild, but he threw hard. What a big kid, too.
Comments (49)
I say we give him Carla's spot and let's roll!
Awesome, how did Sanchez look?
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Jim -- you're leaving us hanging. We need more info. We need our Yankee fix.
How did the other pitchers do?
Who was up when Hughes was showing off?
That's great news! Yeah Rick, he should get Carla's spot, they'll just need to watch his pitch count that's all. How did Snachez look?
Fantastic news, Jim. Nice to hear Hughes is doing well. "Fine" for Pavano is about 650,000% better than what we usually get, so I'll take that, too.
JIM B.-
When you say Sanchez was "big", does that mean also "in shape"? Or does that mean "big" as in "sloppy/over weight"?
Thanks for all the info.
for the immediate fix, Peter Abraham has a more complete break down until Jim here can get one up
Hughes is a pleasure to watch, and to talk to. He is the best argument for swallowing Pavano's contract and trading him for a pail of horse feed. Sanchez has great potential, too--actually, the farm system has about 5-7 pitchers that will be the staff within 2 years.. (Clippard, Cox, Whelan, Ohlendorf, Kontos for sure, along with Christian Garcia & Jeff Marquez).
Hughes will be up around June, but he's not going to be thrown right into the fire. I would assume 160-180 innings, no more than that.
If the Yanks have to use Hughes 200 innings to make the playoffs, they will do it. No restrictions apply to any player, when it comes to getting into the playoffs.
103 pitch session for Dice-K, compares to Igawa's throwing only 40 pitches?. How come the Yankees especiallly don't let pitchers to throw more pitches? Yankees are being protected and being babied with their pitchers. The more pitchers throw, let their arms be loosen and they get better. They get in shape right away.
I guess Yankees don't follow Johnny Sain pitching philosophy - Let their Pitchers throw .
Edwin : Don't you think the Yanks know what they're doing ? They haven't even played a spring training game and your coming w/ the advice !
Roy : If the Yanks let you run the show they'd be buried in 4th place... and every pitcher would be shelved w/rotator cuff injuries .It's been said over and over again by Yankee insiders Hughes will not throw more than 175-180 innings in 2007.
Roy - old Yankees you would be right, new Yankees means there's no way Hughes throws that many innings this year. Cashman has said time and again they will not risk the long term future for the short term future, that means the team will not do to Hughes what the Cubs did to Wood and Prior.
Three quotes from Spring Training on Hughes:
Giambi, "Young Rocket"
Pratt, "Throws like Curt Schilling"
Bowa, "Major league curveball"
Ruse,
Couldn't agree with you more. See what Roy and others don't get is that Mark Prior and Kerry Wood have served as cautionary tales. Teams are not going to risk young arms.
I just love jokers like Roy and Edwin who seem to think that teams would be so much better off if they would let the fans manage.
You're almost as bad as the jerks who think the game is all about numbers like OPS and OBP.
Pavano will rule !
Chip : I know .Prior and Wood are great examples.Verlander was useless down the stretch and in the playoffs.
It doesn't sound like Igawa has much to offer so far.
Ruse, the list goes on and on:
Verlander, Wood, Prior, Felix Hernandez, Ben Sheets, Rich Harden...all pitchers who were thrown in full throttle too soon.
The new trend (and what I expect to happen with Hughes) is what the Angels did with Jared Weaver; start him at AAA, when/if he's needed, promote him, but look for any and every reason you can to send him back to AAA or at least limit his innings.
Anonymous:
The first week of Spring Training and you're ready to make that call on Igawa are you? Damn, I don't know what the Yankees are waiting for, they should cut him now. While they're at it, you should post your name so that they can fire Cashman and hire you - you're obviously a crack player evaluator.
Guys I am going to copy and paste what I see from the breakdown of practice today...enjoy
Chien Ming Wang (31 pitches, faced Davis, Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Cano): The Wanger threw 31 pitches and got six ground balls. He had problems keeping the ball down but threw hard and at one point blew a fastball by Jeter that he swung through.
Andy Pettitte (30 pitches, faced Cabrera, Rodriguez, Mientkiewicz, Posada): Pettitte took the mound to loud applause from the fans and look good. A-Rod homered off him to right field but he threw 18 strikes by my count and spotted everything well.
Mike Mussina (35 pitches, faced Mientkiewicz, Posada, Cabrera, Rodriguez): I thought the Moose looked the best of everybody. He threw 27 strikes and there were only a few hard-hit balls.
Kei Igawa (40 pitches, faced Cairo, Nieves, Gonzalez, Phillips): Igawa worked fast, too fast in a way, and threw the most pitches in his 10 minutes. He was “sneaky fast” according to Torre because his fastball is better than it looks out of his hand. He also threw inside and spotted his curveball well. He didn’t throw his best pitch, his change, because his fastball isn’t good enough yet to make the change effective. Igawa seemed pleased afterward. “So-so,” he said in English, although he was grinning.
Carl Pavano (35 pitches, faced Cairo, Nieves, Gonzalez, Phillips): Pavano had good sink on his fastball, worked methodically and threw 23 strikes. He also drilled Gonzalez in the back. He said afterward that it was just another step forward for him. The stadium PA system played the theme from “Rocky” when he took the mound. “I got a chuckle out of that,” he said. The next song was “Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin. ”(It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled …”)
Phil Hughes (34 pitches, faced Giambi, Chavez, Pratt, Matsui): Phil Franchise threw only half his pitches for strikes by my count. But eight of the strikes were fouled off and only two were put in play. The rest were unhittable. Chavez and Pratt had what looked like singles. As “Ain’t No Other Man” by Christina Aguilera played, Hughes showed a ridiculous curveball and the ability to spot his fastball inside or outside. “You almost never see that at this stage of the spring,” said Ben Davis, who caught him. “He has filthy stuff,” Giambi said. Matsui took the worst swing you’ll ever see him take at a Hughes fastball.
Humberto Sanchez (31 pitches, faced Matsui, Chavez, Pratt and Giambi): Sanchez was all over the place with his command, throwing one over the catcher’s head at one point. But he did get seven swing-and-misses. “Why did Detroit trade him?” Giambi said. “He’s huge and he throws 96.”
Thanks AJ that was great! ...Pettitte the last rookie starter for the Bombers thru 175 innings over 30 games and 25 starts in 1995
It's refreshing reading about future talent such as Philip Hughes, since he dispels the myth that the Yankees' farm system has been devoid of great talent. Cano and Melky are further testaments to its impressive depth -- and, happily, there's more where they came from. With guys like these, the Yankees don't need to fear losing players such as Bernie; they were able to release Randy with no hesitation; and they could probably dispense with a few other superstars if need be. It feels great to wield such power and control (especially this early in the season).
Yes Lucy the future is bright and hope springs eternal for us Yankee fans.
Thanks for the enjoyable rundown, AJ. It's giving me spring training fever. I can hardly wait for the start of the official season.
Eternal, indeed, Ruse. Eternal indeed.
Now the juices are flowing and we're talking about something interesting...aaahh Spring.
I am not worried at all about the veterans control/stuff at this point (Pettitte, Moose), I hope Guidry can get Igawa to slow down and I'm sure he will so there's not too much to worry about there. I've just had my doubts about whether his stuff will translate to MLB. I'm actually more concerned about him than I am Pavano. We'll see Hughes in June or July and it will be an awesome injection into the team. I think the guys will be so excited to see him come up that they will catch fire as soon as he does. This team is going to roll!
I'm glad Pavano looked good and didn't get hurt. I root for the uniform so I'm trying really hard to root for him and I hope he does well. Frankly, I'd keep him if he can stay healthy...but..nah, I'm not going to say it.
Jim A.: Amen ! Believe me when you hear Yankee hitters saying the most effusive things about these youngsters it is definitely an adrenline rush and a helluva lot more exciting than talking about the 3rd baseman and SS
or Politics....
Until I see them on the mound in a Game then the jury is still out.
Not bashing them , I'm in a way protecting my feelings and theirs , to have reviews after such a workout can install premature confidence and perhaps cockiness.
these players need not be overhyped
Bomber : Of course !
Great rundown AJ; thanks!
This is going to be a really good year!
Now, if I can resolve my MLB ExtraInnings stuff, I'll be a happy boy!
Bob Klapich's is an idiot and clueless. He should be fired from his job. He kept saying that Hughes's best pitch is the splitter? Are you kidding me? He doesn't know what He's talking about. Klapsich should stop covering as Journalist and covers the Mets.
Oft-injured starter must restore credibility
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/columns/story?columnist=klapisch_bob&id=2774949
[QUOTE]
Behind door No. 2 is rookie Phil Hughes, who might be the best Yankees prospect of the Steinbrenner era. He throws hard, features a nearly unhittable splitter as his out pitch and seems unusually composed for a 20-year-old. But the Yankees are guarding Hughes like an experimental race car still in the developer's lab. The kid, who only pitched at Double-A last year, is still too young and inexperienced to put to the test. [/QUOTE]
he's mistaking Hughes's hard curveball in the dirt for a splitter, which is weird cause Klap was a college pitcher.
pavano is going to do well as i have said for weeks now.igawa is the one who scares me! i think a rotation of wang
pettite
mussina
pavano
hughes
gives us a rotation that can match up with boston.does anybody else see my point or disagree with me?
that was me
To AJ:Great report on the pitching and hitting. How do you gain access to the park to watch the practices, any hints, costs etc.
Hey Guys, I hope the Red Sox's have Dice Man throw another 103 pitches tomorrow. His arm should fall off by April 1. Also, pitchers are clearly ahead of the hitters until the warmer weather up North.
Mike fl: I agree with you, Igawa worries me more than anything. We also forget that we might just throw Clemens in the rotation come June. Let's say Igawa doesn't work out and we want to rest Moose down the stretch so we call up Hughes and sign Clemens. I personally dislike Clemens very much but I'm just saying this Yankee rotation could be vastly different (improved) by the end of the summer, which is when it will count. Can you imagine an October rotation of Wang, Pettitte, Clemens, Moose and Hughes?
Like Bronx Bomber, I'm withholding too much excitement on Hughes. Let's face it, the hitters who spoke about him are towing the company line. I don't think any of them would say "I don't think Hughes is all that" (too bad Sheff is gone huh?), but when I read other organizations are drooling over him, really makes me optimistic.
To mike, Fl. What I like about your rotation is no Clemens. I don't favor RC pitching for us. I hope BC allows PH to throw regularly down at AAA to get his feet wet than bring him up around june/july. As far Igawa I was not impressed with his video from Japan prior to signing. He will have some adjustment but hopefully can get us 12+ wins. I would love pavano to come through big time. I believe he can do it and owes us.
were on the same page larry!!!
Larry M: I agree totally, as I said, I hate Clemens but I think the Yanks will not be able to resist signing him if they can.
not to mention the same state!
I was reading PinstripeBlog.com today and this is what they had to say about Igawa-"I honestly don't understand the press' reaction to Igawa.His numbers,compared to Matsuzaka's,are about 10% worse.How can a 10% difference put Matsuzaka as an Ace and Igawa as a long reliever? The "stuff" crap is just that.Does Jamie Moyer have great stuff? Did David Cone?How about El Duque? Those guys had control and pitching sense.I have no idea if Igawa has either one,but to consign him to long relief because of "Stuff" is an ignorant statement."...I checked on their numbers since Igawa became a starting pitcher in 2001 and their numbers are very close,Igawa 83-56 DMat 78-47...strikeout totals are close etc.
Thanks for the info on Hughes & Sanchez. But what of the #2 Yankees prospect, Jose Tabata? He is in camp isn't he?
And in turn, I love the photos of Hughes, Humberto, and Ohlendorf, but could you get the Newsday photographers to give us some pix of Tabata and Kevin Whelan?
FYI: AJ cut and pasted that review of BP from Pete A.'s blog on LoHud. Just trying to give credit where it is due.
AJ is nothing but an emptyed headed twit who doesn't know anything about the game except what he reads. A pathetic little pu$$y.
Andy-
You are not worth my time.
I know AJ,cut and paste-cut and paste. your just a loser, a total waste.