As Steve referenced below, Chien-Ming Wang pitched in an extended spring training game yesterday and was uninspiring. Here is what Nardi Contreras had to say, via Pete Abraham:
“He doesn’t have the arm strength he had last year,” Contreras said. “But he hasn’t pitched in eight months prior to this spring training. What I saw today, he had the best slider I’ve seen since I’ve known Chien-Ming. The slider has improved and the changeup is very good. His offspeed pitches are coming in really well.”
You know what that sounds like? It sounds like a report you might get on a pitcher two starts into spring training. Wang clearly has some conditioning issues to work through due to his long layoff, and those are the kind of issues that you cannot work out while pitching in the major leagues. I would be shocked if the Yankees did not put him on the DL and have him pitch rehab starts for a while. I bet that we do not see him for at least a month.
The obvious replacement for Wang is Phil Hughes, who apparently looked great in his last start. From Chad Jennings:
Hughes said he’s been focused on the curveball during his side sessions, and felt like he got the feel for it heading into this start. It was sharp, and he was willing to throw it in just about any count, including three-ball counts when he needed to drop it for a strike.
“His curveball was outstanding,” pitching coach Scott Aldred said. “Command of it was good. Break was good. He used it in good situations. To me he just pitched a much better game. He didn’t just go after guys with his fastball, then use his secondary. He mixed it up real good. No patterns. That was probably the best that I’ve seen him this year……..”
All told, though, he was outstanding. He went through four innings — the fourth through the seventh — getting every out either on strikes or in the infield. His re-discovered curveball gave him three outstanding pitches, with his fourth pitch, the changeup, still a work in process.
The most important thing that I took from this piece was the implicit point that the cutter is now an effective and permanent part of Phil’s arsenal. With three major league quality pitches working well for him, he should be better prepared to face major league hitters than he was last year. If Wang is in fact placed on the DL, Hughes is likely to get the call to start Tuesday in Detroit. Hopefully he seizes the opportunity and creates a situation where the Yankees would be hard-pressed to send him down upon Wang’s return.
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7 Responses to Hughes To The Show?
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TIQ IQ
Something else I read in the offseason regarding Hughes was the idea of him using a high fastball to get hitters off of his curve. Because his fastball is usually down in the zone and his plus curve starts high and breaks off – good batter recognize the two and thus can sit on him more.
As much as I’d like to see Hughes, I still think he may be best served by developing in an environment that is more geared toward practice. His learning by experimenting with new pitches and approaches is what I would like to see him get more time on. When he pitches at the MLB level I feel he is just going to fall back into old habits of trying to get by with what he is comfortable with.
I think I am fine with him coming up if it is for more than one start. I hate the idea of shuffling him back and forth, it can only hurt him.
Yeah but I do expect that Wang will be back soon, at least I’m hoping so. If it is just two or three starts, I guess it is not a big deal either way but is starts to feel disruptive.
Also, I don’t want to make it feel like I’m ragging on the kid because I do think he has a lot of potential, but again as I stated above, he could stand to learn some things and I think that process is better supported at the AAA level.
Roy Halliday comes to mind as a player they sent down to re-teach. I think with better secondary pitches and a stronger approach Hughes could be very good. I also worry alot that throwing him to the wolves before he is ready could do more harm than good.
SO,we get lucky and Hughes is 6-1, pitcihng the way we know he can and WAng is back throwing 95, what happens then?
I know, I know, we should only have such problems but frankly, it’s almost a likely scenario.
C.C and AJ are here forever, Andy wants to pitch 2 more years and is a super #5 starter, who gives you innings and leadership.
If Wang gets back 100% and he should, and Hughes is the real deal, what do we do?
I say either get Joba looking real good (like a future #1) and get some other teams 2 best prospects, or maybe a kid like CLevelands CF who you could never acquire for less than a #1 caliber Starting pitcher or Joba goes to the pen to support Bruney and Mariano.
How else can you create VALUE from both players.
You don’t want Joba pitching 200 innings anyway.
Not trading Joba under any circumstances. If Hughes is pitching lights out, he would have a ton of value. That being said, I would not trade either at this point, as they need the depth. Additionally, no way you get Sizemore for either guy, he is among the most valuable players in baseball, they would never deal him.
Having said that, the dilemma you pose is fascinating, although these things have a way of working themselves out. I would think that Phil gets shipped out, unless they want to do some sort of role sharing plan with Joba- They rotate starts, and work out of the bullpen twice or three times during the ten days that they do not start. Not going to happen because teams are afraid to try something new with young pitchers, but it might be an interesting solution and should keep Joba at about 130-140 innings on the year.
Let me just say that I think the idea that Joba should be stuck in the eigth inning is about the dumbest thing I have ever heard. However, once Joba is nearing his innings limit I would not be against transitioning him back to the pen for the end of this season, with the hope that he will be a full time SP for the duration of next year (hopefully with the ability to go 200).
– I almost don’t want to give the eigth inning advocates any more fuel for their fire but as far as 2009 our playoff roster would look better if we had Joba around, and with his innings limit I doubt he can be if he remains SP only material.
Right now Joba looks like an average pitcher who has trouble staying healthy.Let’s not get to crazy about what waste it would be having ihm as a top reliever or putting him nito a trade.
I don’t have a lot of confidence that he’s a mature mentally healthy individual that can be counted on year in year out.