Yardbarker: Phil Hughes

The 2008 Sleepers that Were and Weren't

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:27:51 -0500

With half the season already over, we thought it be a good time to go back and see how our 2008 sleeper picks are doing. Read what we said back in March and see who we got right and who we got wrong.

AL All Crap Team

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:09:29 -0500

Screw the All Star Game let's put together a roster from those that have been utter disappointments this season.

C: Victor Martinez - He's supposed to be the best hitting catcher in the league. Instead he doesn't have a single home run this season and has been on the DL for about a month now.
1B: - Paul Konerko - Despite Paul Konerko's miserable .213 average the White Sox still find themselves in first place.
2B: - Asdrubal Cabrera - Last season Cabrera came up and solidified the Indians middle infield, this year he couldn't even hit close to .200 before being demoted.
3B: Jack Hannahan - Not much has been made in the media about the absence of Eric Chavez for most of the year, but his replacement for the A's has been piss poor hitting .222 with only 3 homers.
SS: Edgar Renteria - Renteria was supposed to be another key acquisition for the Tigers, yet it hasn't quite worked out yet as Edgar barely has an on base % above .300 to go along with his .326 Slugging %.
OF: Franklin Gutierrez - It's no wonder the Indians are in sell mode when you look at how many players they have on the All Crap roster. Gutierrez 200+ at bats and has an on base % of .265. Ugh.
OF: David Dellucci - Dellucci also has 200+ at bats this season for the Indians and he too has an on base % below .300 and an average below .225.
OF: Johnny Gomes - He's nothing more than a platoon outfielder for the Rays but he should really be nothing more than a platoon player for their AAA affiliation. He's hitting .186 with only 6 homers.
DH: Travis Hafner - Pronk used to be a consistent beast at the plate. This year he's hitting .217 with only 4 home runs and now finds himself on the DL.

Bench: Kenji Johjima - I was gonna go with V-tek, but Johjima has actually been worse, he has well over 200 at bats and has yet to score 20 runs.
Bench: Daric Barton - The rookie has not been the answer for the A's. In 267 at bats Barton is hitting .225 with only 3 homers.
Bench: Juan Uribe - No longer starting but still getting marginal playing time for the White Sox, Uribe has managed only a .206 average this season.
Bench: Craig Monroe - He has 140+ at bats for the Twins and is hitting a massive .211. Woo go Craig.
Bench: Shannon Stewart - Stewart has never been a masher and he certainly isn't this year with a .303 slugging %, but he used to at least have speed. This year he only has 3 stolen bases.

SP: Jeremy Sowers - The Youngster for the Indians has started 8 games this season and is 0-5 with a 7+ ERA.
SP: Steve Trashbag - He was brought back to the Orioles for a little veteran leadership, but he was designated for assignment in early June after posting a 8+ ERA.
SP: Carlos Silva - Um, why did he get a solid contract? He's never been really good and he's been atrocious with a 5.59 ERA thus far this season.
SP: Phil Hughes - Supposedly the best prospect in baseball Hughes had an ERA of 9 before landing himself on the DL for which he might remain the entirety of the season.
SP: Ian Kennedy - The 2nd Yankees youngster recorded an ERA well above 7 in 9 outings and has yet to manage a victory.
SP: Boof Bonser - The man with the funny name has been relegated from the rotation after posting an ERA well over 6.
RP: Jimmy Gobble - Gobble has come into 29 games from the pen and has an ERA above 7 for the Royals.
RP: Mike Timlin - I guess when you're about 90 you should be losing a little zip on the fastball and Timlin is with his 6+ ERA.
RP: Ross Ohlendorf - One more Yankee 'prospect' that has been a disappointment thus far this season.
RP: JJ Putz - JJ was supposed to be amongst the elite closers. Instead he's been on and off the DL and only has 7 saves.
CL: Joe Borowski - He wasn't very good last year when he recorded a ton of saves but he's been absolutely brutal this season with a 7.56 ERA and only 6 saves.

Best players at each position among AL East powers

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:04:09 -0500

Prompted by a few questions on the subject, I decided to do my own version of the AL East player debates. Solely focusing on the three best teams—record-wise at the midway point—in the American League East, here are my picks for the top players at each position among the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

Yankees Mailbag

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:21:07 -0500

With Chien-Ming Wang out until September, do you think the Yankees will go out and trade some players for a big-time starter like C.C Sabathia, or will they possibly bring someone up from the Minors, not including Kei Igawa?

Yankees injury round up

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:46:21 -0500

Numerous injuries and returns to talk about when it comes to the New York Yankees. Two key players (Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon) have some nagging injuries, while two young prospects (J.B. Cox and Humberto Sanchez) make their returns.

First one...

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:33:48 -0500

Well, this is my first post here. I actually only started it to read and comment on Phil Hughes' blog, haha. He's a pretty cool guy, I have to say. Anyways, my name is Caitlin and I'm a HUGE Yankees fan. They're pretty much life. I'm also a big NY Giants fan as well. I HATE everything to do with Boston, the teams, the players, the city itself. And yes, I have been there before for school trips, and I can definitely say it SUCKS and everybody there has some sort of attitude problem and has a puss on their face all day. I'm in Connecticut so I'm right in the middle of it all, which makes things interesting, but mostly annoying because now there's predominately bandwagon Boston fans, which makes me throw up a little. I guess that's all for now, I'll post whenever I have something to say, which probably won't be that often here since I have a few other blog thingies. Later. I leave with this photo....it makes me laugh.

Welcome!

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:10:49 -0500

Hey everyone. Just wanted to welcome my readers from philhughes.wordpress.com over to my new blog as well as any new followers I may pick up along the way. I'm very excited to join the Yard Barker forum with all the other athletes that care about keeping in touch with their fans. For those of you who followed my blog before I don't really intend on anything to change. I'll continue with the contests and from time to time blog about complete randomness. Enjoy!

Yanks give Ponson another chance

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:23:36 -0500

Sidney Ponson? Are you kidding me? Desperate for starting pitching depth with Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy on the shelf, the Yankees Wednesday signed the well-traveled, often-troubled right-hander. Ponson was recently released by the pitching-poor Texas Rangers despite a 4-1 record and 3.88 ERA. When the Rangers released him, GM Jon Daniels blamed Ponson for [...]

Someone (in NYC) really, really wants our CC

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:20:02 -0500

The Indians have won five of their last seven, finally discovering that if they put injured guys who can't swing a bat on the DL instead of in the 3 and 4 holes in their batting order they might be able to score a few runs. The Tribe has cut an 8 1/2 game deficit with the White Sox to 5 1/2 and things are beginning to look as if they are moving in the right direction (as long as the bullpen doesn't have to play too big a role in any particular game). The Sox, meanwhile, have lost 5 of their last 6 games and look to be about to put Paul Konerko on the DL. So now does not appear to be the right time to pull the trigger on any trade involving CC Sabathia. But you can bet Mark Shapiro is getting plenty of phone calls from the 212 area code trying to convince him otherwise. The Yankees, who have won 17 of their last 25 and have moved to 4 games over .500 and 6 game out of first in the A.L. East, have put together a decent starting staff of late, with the addition of Joba Chamberlain and Darrell Rasner (is he doing it with mirrors?) and the resurrection of Mike Mussina. But all that may get flushed down the pinstriped pot if, as expected once MRI results are in, staff ace Chien-Ming Wang is put on the shelf for most, if not all, of the rest of the season with what is believed to be a broken bone in the foot. The New York Times is already speculating that the Yanks' GM Brian Cashmen has the speed dial to Mark Shapiro fired up. "The Yankees' season changed irreversibly on Sunday. Chien-Ming Wang's season is in jeopardy with a serious injury to his right foot, and C. C. Sabathia instantly became a very important name in the Yankees' universe." -- lead of today's New York Times story. The Times story seems like nothing more than a logical conclusion - no names of any kind are mentioned and no quotes from anyone are included. The New York Post - also apparently speculating - doesn't seem to think the Yankees have the goods to get it done. "The Yankees' options to replace Wang are limited. The Indians aren't about to deal C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees don't have the major league-ready arms Cleveland would want. Dan Giese is in the Yanks' bullpen, and Daniel McCutchen, Alan Horne, Jeffrey Marquez and Kei Igawa are at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre." That is assuming the Tribe is only interested in pitching in return - which may not be a great assumption. Meanwhile, the Yankee blog published by the Journal News, my local paper, is already speculating about who the Yanks might have to sacrificed to get CC to replace Wang. "LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS: C.C. Sabathia (Indians): He knows how to pitch in the AL, he's a lefty (always a plus at the Stadium) and you'll have a few months to try and sign him. But if the Yankees are desperate, Mark Shapiro will seek the world for his ace, especially if he's going to an AL team. Start with Robinson Cano." Robbie Cano would seem like a good place to start, at least if you look at his career numbers. But check out these numbers from NJ.com for the Yanks lost and bewildered 2B this year. "Going into Saturday night's game, Cano had the lowest on-base percentage (.260) and third-lowest slugging percentage (.316) of major-league players with at least 250 plate appearances." If the Yanks were to put Cano in as a centerpiece of a package for Sabathia the Tribe would be getting - for now - yet another player who is underperforming miserably this season. Shapiro would have to try to determine if this year is an aberration or the start of a trend. As has already been established in the linked articles, the Yanks don't have much in the way of MLB-ready pitching (not counting the injured Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy) and they themselves are trying to fill 1B with the likes of Jason Giambi and Shelley Duncan and Wilson Betemit. They also have nothing to offer at 3B (Betemit is their backup there too) and the corner outfield spots are taken by veterans who the Indians wouldn't necessarily want if they end up punting on this season and trading CC. So while the pressure will be brought to bear on Shapiro by the Yanks' front office, it's not clear what the Yankees have to offer in the way of young, healthy major leaguers who are playing up to their potential.

Hughes out at least 8 more weeks

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:23:45 -0500

New York Yankees pitcher Philip Hughes will be out at least another eight weeks. The youngster underwent X-Rays on his fractured rib yesterday to see how the healing process was going. The rib has been healing but not to the point yet, where the Yankees would let him begin to throw. The team has decided he can't start a throwing program for at least two more weeks.

Should Hughes Move To Pen?

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:23:13 -0500

On his blog this week Phil Hughes announced that he has been pain free for nearly a week and will begin his rehab assignment soon. The following day Joe Girardi responded to that comment when he announced that Hughes would undergo a bone scan this week. Assuming that would go well he set an approximate timeline for the 21-year-old's return to the Bronx. "You're talking about six weeks, at least, (once he's cleared)," Joe Girardi said to the NY Daily News. "Maybe quicker. But he's been off awhile." That time frame puts him at the end of July or more likely the beginning of August for his return. But with Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, and Joba Chamberlain entrenched in the rotation and Darrell Rasner and Ian Kennedy battling for the final spot Hughes won't exactly have a rotation spot waiting. Hopefully this will force the Yankees to at least consider moving Hughes to the bullpen for the remainder of the season. There are other reasons to consider keeping him in the pen past this season as well. The first reason to move him immediately is that there is simply no room for him in the rotation. Before his last start, Rasner has been pitching very well registering quality starts in five of his previous six starts. Even after getting shelled by Oakland yesterday he has decent numbers with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Even if he does remind too many Yankee fans of Aaron Small or Shawn Chacon the Bombers should try to ride his wave as long as they can. Besides they have Kennedy to fall back on. Kennedy has been on the DL since May 28, but has already begun to rehab after straining his right lat muscle and should return soon. There is no guarantee he will return to the majors once he is ready, but since his initial demotion to the minors Kennedy has pitched better and the Yankees may try to take advantage of that. Whether or not there is room for Hughes in the rotation could be irrelevant. Throughout his short major league career we have seen a decent fastball and a strong curve, but little else. It has been his failure to use his changeup effectively and his lack of any other quality pitches has driven up pitch counts and kept him from going deep into games. Keeping him in the bullpen, where he would primarily throw two pitches anyways, could be what changes his career. The last and perhaps most important reason to keep out of the rotation could be his injury history. Since he was drafted 23rd overall in 2004 he has pitched just one season injury free. Not all of them are major injuries to be worried about, but when you add them up he seems to be quite injury prone. In July 2004, Hughes is shutdown the day after his first professional start because of elbow stiffness. Then in August he breaks his toe while running in his hotel room. He pitches just five innings that year. In June of 2005 he is placed on the DL with shoulder tendonitis. In 2007 he pops his hamstring just two starts into his major league career. Then he suffers an ankle sprain while rehabbing from that injury. This year of course everyone remembers his mysterious broken rib, which was probably self-inflicted when he threw himself down the stairs in frustration of a terrible season. With such a long track record in such a small period of time it is certainly debatable that this kid could be the next Carl Pavano. Not a good sign. Once he returns he should be given an opportunity to show what he can do as a setup man before hopefully taking over Joba's former role as the eight inning guy. By pitching out of the bullpen Hughes will be putting less innings on his arm each year while still getting the chance to workout his stuff at the major league level if starting is in his long-term plans. With his fastball/curveball combo and his injury history putting him in the bullpen could be what's best for his career. Who knows? Maybe he could be one hell of a closer one day.

Yankees ailing pitchers

Thu, 29 May 2008 21:52:03 -0500

The New York Yankees today provided updates on two of their young stud pitchers health. Those pitchers would be Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes, and the news isn't good. Hughes is experiencing a setback in his rehabilitation from a broken rib, while Kennedy is just now hitting the disabled list with his injuries. Let's take a look at both players, and what this all means for Joba Chamberlain.

Coming Up Small

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:32:25 -0500

If the Yankees end up saving their season, a lot of people may point to the return of ARod, who has homered twice (actually three times) since coming of the DL a couple of days ago. But, the real hero may have been standing about 40 feet to Arod's left last night.

Are the Yankees getting desperate?

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:27:14 -0500

With most of their starters struggling and Rivera shining... Joba Chamberlain will become a starter.

Yankees: Start Spreading The News

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:04:26 -0500

I know it. You know it. The ghost of George Herman Ruth knows it. The New York Yankees are all done.