He’ll be fine. He looked much better last night than he did in his previous two starts. He was able to locate his fastball really well – something he had trouble doing to this point. I’ve read people complain that he didn’t use a third pitch, and some outright say that he doesn’t have a third pitch. Look. The kid is 21 years old. What were you doing at that age? I remember the butterflies and pressure I put on myself playing baseball at a D3 college at 21. This kid is playing in the majors. Lay off him. He made significant progress last night. So he didn’t use his third pitch. He showed control and confidence with his fastball. That’s the first step.
As for the Yankees, these growing pains are only the beginning, but I couldn’t be happier that we’re going through them. This is a year of transitions. Not only do we have a new manager, but we have a new way of developing the team. I love the direction Cashman has been taking the team. After his year we will get rid of Giambi (PLEASE PUT DUNCAN AT FIRST ASAP!!), Pavano, Mussina, etc. We have some great young pitching prospects and outfielders, and with the new emphasis on player development and scouting the infield should follow suit soon. This is how you run a baseball franchise my friends. I’ve been saying it for years to anyone who would listen to me, and it’s great to see. Unfortunately, during this transitional period we might miss the playoffs. I don’t think we will, but we might. And that’s ok. The Red Sox missed the playoffs a few years back then came back to win the world series a couple of times. We just need to purge ourselves of the past before we can move ahead with a new dynasty. Patience, my fellow Yankees fans, patience.
Tags: Phil Hughes, Yankees
