Phil Hughes: The Finesse Pitcher?

Before the average Yankee fan knew who Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy were, the only pitching phenom they were looking forward to was Phil Hughes. However, Joba Chamberlain in particular has stolen Hughes’ thunder, but it’s not just because of Chamberlain’s other-worldly performance. Hughes, the Yankees prize pitching prospect has disappointed somewhat in his rookie season while going 4-3 with a pedestrian 4.80 ERA. Hughes has pitched better of late, allowing 3 ER or less in his previous 4 starts, but the overall numbers are still not what the Yankees would have envisioned from Hughes after watching his masterpiece against the Texas Rangers in only his second career start. The main reason for this is Hughes simply is not the same pitcher he was during that start or during his brilliant minor league career. Throughout his minor league career, Hughes was touted as having a plus fastball at around 94-95 mph but that velocity has not been seen from Hughes since he returned from his hamstring and ankle injuries. Hughes has been consistently at 91-92 mph since returning, which has likely led to his increase in walks as he shy’s away from bats now that he may no longer believe in his stuff. Hughes sports a BB/9 of nearly 4 (3.73) which certainly is not terrible, but it is a large increase from the 2.16 ratio he sported in his minor league career. The most likely reason seems to be that Hughes may not be 100% healthy yet; his ankle may still be a problem with pushing off the mound which could explain the loss of a couple mph of velocity. Another rumor abounding is that Hughes’s delivery was changed after his injury by the Yankees hierarchy and that he doesn’t have the same giddy up on his fastball. However, I personally have not been able to locate any footage to prove or disprove this rumor. Either way, the fact that Hughes has still been able to be competitive without his best fastball speaks volumes to the quality of his secondary pitches (curve and changeup mainly), as well as really makes one wonder what Hughes will be able to do if he recovers his velocity and health next season.