Pitching Coach Dave Eiland addressed the notion that Phil Hughes would be sent to AAA if he doesn’t land the #5 spot in a recent YES interview. Here’s the quote:
Joe Auriemma-”You came into spring training with a really solid staff, very deep. What can you can about having that good problem of having all of these good starting pitchers being able to compete for that 5th spot and ultimately possibly moving them into a bullpen strengthening role “
Dave Eiland-”Well, yeah, you just said it. It’s a tough decision, but a good one to have. The 4 guys that don’t make it, most of them . . ALL of them will go down to the bullpen. That will make our bullpen that much better, and the guy that wins the 5th spot deserves it. It’s really a no lose situation for our team and organization. “
He also took exception when a question was posed that made the 5th starter competition sound like a 2 horse race between Hughes and Joba, saying “those other 3 guys are more than ‘in the mix’ ” as the interviewer stated and “it’s not a 2 horse race”.
This should put to rest the notion that Phil Hughes would be sent to AAA. Hughes won’t go to AAA for the same reason he and Joba were called up in the first place. You want your best arms on your MLB club. I also don’t get why the same people who want Hughes sent to Scranton don’t recommend it for Joba. Why not? Both have 3 years of MLB service time, Joba spent very little time in the minors, whereas Hughes spent parts of 4 years there. I agree with Mike Axisa on this, I don’t think it makes any sense for either of them, and have yet to see anyone in the Yankee organization who thinks otherwise.
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14 Responses to "All of them go to the pen"
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TIQ IQ
One of them should got to AAA. They won’t, but they should. The reason is really simple. They need to keep their arms ready to start to fill in for an injured starter. Its incredibly unlikely that the staff incurs no injury, and I’d much rather have Joba/Hughes fill that spot than have it go to Mitre or McAllister.
I would have very little issue with Joba going to AAA to work on his mechanics away from the NY spotlight.
The only problem with Eiland’s statement is the numbers don’t add up. Let’s make Aceves the fifth starter because he’s the flavor of the day and see what we get.
Starters(5)
Sabathia
Burnett
Vazquez
Pettitte
Aceves
Bullpen Already(4)
Rivera
Marte
Robertson
Park
Starters to the Bullpen(4)
Chamberlain
Hughes
Gaudin
Mitre
5+4+4 =13 pitchers coming North which isn’t going to happen..Either because of injury,trade,DFA, and/or assignment to the minors, at least one of these pitchers will not be on the 25 man roster on Opening Day
You’re absolutely right, Mitre and Gaudin are out of options, and Hughes will be by the end of April. That’s why there’s been lots of speculation about making a trade at the end of ST.
I don’t necessarily agree with Hughes being sent to AAA, but there is a difference between Joba and Hughes going to AAA. Joba is basically innings-limit free this year. Hughes would not be. And another year of relieving will only make it more difficult to stretch him out in the future. I’m not saying that it can’t be done, but that it’s just more difficult. Sending Hughes down to AAA would allow him to build up innings. And replace an injured starter, or the inevitably crappy Mitre.
Yikes. If Hughes has limited innings for this year, why would want him to use them up in AAA? So that he could run up against his limit by the end of the season and not be available to the MLB team in September and/or the playoffs?
If anything, you could skip him or DL him for the first few weeks, when we wouldn’t need a 5th starter anyway. But sending a guy to AAA who has limited innings to begin with is just a complete and total waste.
I’m not sure I get this. He could go to AAA, build up innings, and then switch to the bullpen with enough cushion to complete the season out of the pen. This lets him reach the necessary 140-150 innings plus lets him help the club out of the pen down the stretch. I probably would put him in the pen, but I dont think this is crazy at all.
Exactly. He could build up innings in AAA as a starter and then transition the bullpen down the stretch, just like Joba in 2007. I’m not saying that’s what I think will or should happen, but the logic is sound. Hughes would be able to help the 2010 team and also be a full-time starter in 2011.
Finally, I have been saying this for months that the loser of the competition will not go to Triple A. The real problem I got here is saying that all of the other four will be in the pen. The only guy I want to see in this group start other then Hughes would be Gaudan. The problem they have so far is that both Aceves and Mitre have pitch great. Aceves is more or less a lock to make the team because of how good and important he was last year. Like the rest of you, I fully expect Mitre to pitch like crap in the regular season and in no way should they allow him to make the team. If he is pitching well at the end of spring training then they either need to trade him or figure out a way to put him in the minors as the starter in waiting.
Cash has already said he might explore a trade at the end of ST, and the most likely candidates would be Mitre and Gaudin.
Hold on… We’re taking as inarguable evidence that the losers of the 5th starter competition will be in the bullpen Dave Eiland saying “the 4 guys that don’t make it, most of them… all of them will go down to the bullpen?” That’s a little less than persuasive or determinative evidence, and that’s putting it kindly. In that one statement he said ‘most of them will go to the bullpen’ and ‘all of them will go to the bullpen.’ You can’t pick out one of those two statements, emphasize it in all caps, and act like it’s gospel and the other statement doesn’t exist.
I think the plan probably is for all of the losers of the 5th starter competition to go to the MLB bullpen, but saying that this particular statement puts the question to rest is just plain false.
If you listen to the clip, he was clearly correcting himself after saying “most”, emphasizing “ALL” which is why I put it in caps.
Ok I totally didn’t listen to the clip. Still, I think it’s a bit misguided to think this is conclusive evidence of anything when we’ve also heard many times that it’s possible for one of them to wind up in AAA, but I’ll retract the portion of my objection that dealt with the substance of Eiland’s comment.
[...] this mean for Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain? Both would go to the bullpen, which is essentially what Dave Eiland said as well. Again, way too early to make any definitive statements, but we were told that Aceves to the [...]