oh my.....that is quite a difference between lefties and righties....whats this silly game Hughes just pitched in? some future stars type thing? Didnt look good at all......Phil franchise....wtf?
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/sports/yankees/yanks_decision_looking_bad_135306.htm?page=0 PHILADELPHIA - Last off season the YankeesNew York Yankees refused to include Phil HughesPhil Hughes in a package for Johan SantanaJohan Santana . Hughes made that decision look horrendous during the season, and isn't stopping now. It is not just that two of his four starts in the Arizona Fall League have been poor, including Friday night's Rising Stars showcase game. But scouts who have watched him in the AFL say Hughes' delivery, command and array of stuff have not been impressive. He started the Rising Stars game and permitted four runs (one earned) in three innings, allowing two homers and walking two. One scout who has seen multiple starts in the AFL by Hughes offered this report from the Rising Stars game: "His velocity was fine. He threw some at 93-94 (mph), but mostly he was in the low 90s, but the problem was that they were straight. He gave up two bombs and even the outs were mostly hard hit. He couldn't command his fastball to the corners at all. Only about half his curves were good and only about one in four were in the strike zone. He is working to add that changeup (to use against lefties), threw three and all were up and out of the zone. "I think the problem is that his elbow is too low so he is not commanding because he is not throwing downhill. His command stinks because his motion stinks. For example, his curve has good rotation and break, but I think because of that delivery it breaks early and so hitters pick it up." There were many reasons that Yankees GM Brian Cashman advised against making a Santana deal last season, notably having to give up prospects and award Santana a record contract. But central to his thinking was that he did not want to surrender Hughes, whom he has envisioned being a cost-effective, homegrown, top-of-the-rotation stalwart. But Hughes has not been able to stay consistently healthy, and this season when he did pitch it was not particularly well: 0-4, 6.62 ERA in the majors; 1-0, 5.90 ERA in six Triple-A starts; and now the AFL issues. * The pitcher who started against Hughes in the Rising Stars game was Atlanta's Tommy Hanson, who is a key figure in ongoing trade discussions about San Diego ace Jake Peavy. Braves GM Frank Wren has vowed that he will not trade the organization's top prospects, and Hanson is certainly in that class. Three Padres officials, including director of pro and international scouting Randy Smith, watched Hanson dominate the Rising Stars game: Three no-hit innings with seven strikeouts. A scout in attendance claimed Hughes is not in the same league as Hanson, saying about the 22-year-old righty: "He is at least a number two starter. He has plus stuff and plus command. He throws his fastball 90-94 (mph), but smartly adds in two-seamers at 89-90. He has a plus slider and a plus curveball. He mixes his pitches well. He has poise. He has smarts. He puts the ball where he wants. To me the Braves have no choice, he should be in their rotation next year." This Hughes guys is looking more and more like a complete bust. Cashman has quite the ey for talen..HUghes, Melky and Kennedy hahahahaha what a disaster....oh I know I now,,,,it was those three plus 4 other prospects according to some of you *
as much as I want the Chamberlain DUI talk to stop, here's a link worth reading. http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spdarryl235894784oct23,0,3406886.story?track=rss"
Ya'll wanna talk about Joba's DWI, but not the terrible sight lines in the brand new billion dollar ballpark in some of the few seats that average joes can afford day in and day out.
dude, please with the sightlines...theyre the worse fuckin seats in the place...who cares....if someone buys a ticket over there they deserve what they get.......the"average Joe" as you call him was priced out of yankee stadium 10 years ago....thanks for the breaking news.....considering the product, EVERY SEAT IN SHEA IS A BAD SIGHTLINE.
A complete bust? At age 22? Come on, dude. What did you think of Lester before this year? What did you think of Santana during his 21 and 22 year old seasons? Hughes hasn't been able to put together a consistent and dominant year since 2006 (at ages 19-20, by the way), but there's no way you write off a 22 year old with that kind of promise because of inconsistency. If he were consistently bad over a long period, that's one thing... but he's shown that he can still dominate, and that his pitches can be nasty. If there's something to be fixed, delivery-wise, I would imagine they can fix it. Although if there's one area of the Yankee organization that I really don't care for, it's player development. They can draft the talent... they just seem to have a hard time crafting it.
great point about Lester....and great point about yankees not developing people.....our pitching coaches never seem to be able to improve anyone....why is that? Hopefull its a just a delivery thing
Yeah, I think Cappy makes very good points there. Even the harshest critics have to admit Hughes has shown flashes of brilliance, I would think. The big question is: what's missing? Kennedy is different story. He's struggled a lot. Hughes has shown the ability to pitch at the pro level though. Why isn't someone "fixing" him? It's sad. The Yankees are just like the Jets. All of the talent, none of the coaching.
Eiland worked well with both Kennedy and Hughes. But he's with the big club now. As for Kennedy... he's been brilliant for long stretches, and then awful. (Just for reference, after being sent down this year, he put up a 2.35 ERA in the minors, while focusing on developing his pitches as opposed to winning... that's a very good sign). I am convinced his problems are 100% mental. The good news about that is that he's also only 23, with limited pro experience at any level. I still believe Kennedy can (and will) be a more than serviceable major league pitcher. I won't say he's going to be a front-line starter... but I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be a solid #3 for any ML team. I would be surprised if he doesn't turn out to be at least a league-average pitcher. That might not seem like high praise, but most teams would kill to have a league-average guy inked into the back end of their rotation.
I've said for a while now I see Kennedy being, at worst, a good back-end starter for us. You can't overvalue the need for a quality #5 starter, especially in the new-look AL East. If he can pitch legitimately and give 6 innings of decent ball every fifth day, he'll help preserve the pen, which is all you can ask for on the back end. I don't even doubt that Kennedy might still be middle-rotation worthy someday. Will he pan out? Who knows? According to devil, he thinks Kennedy will never be a capable MLB pitcher in any capacity. I don't think I agree with that. (Devil bases a lot of his opinion on Kennedy's mechanics, and I think Blanton proved last night that a terrible pitching motion doesn't necessarily prevent you from being a quality MLB pitcher. I only saw some clips on the news, but WoW, his motion is ugly. He's throwing all arm.) I agree with you on Kennedy's problems being mostly mental. The problem is, the kid is clearly out of control of his own emotions, and that's not easy to fix. To me, it's preferable if his mechanics are off than his ability to control his frustration. (This is something I'd hoped Moose would have worked with him on. Moose always had a problem with his temper when dealing with what he felt were bad calls, or with bad defensive plays. At the same time, he was able to feed off of it, and go right after the next batter. Kennedy winds up getting all flustered, and loses his control. Not a good move.)
You keep mixing it up. I think HUGHES' problems are mechanical. I think KENNEDY'S problems are because he sucks. His stuff just isn't very good.
Absolutely. But you could say that about practically anyone. That said, I'd probably never say that about Hughes. Maybe Kennedy, because the mentality thing is tough to get over, but Hughes has a much better mindset than Kennedy. Plus, both are still really young, which is both a blessing and a curse. I think part of the problem is that the Yankees rushed both of these guys too fast. (A little with Joba too. But his mental state lent to him being more of an immediate success.) All of these guys should only be getting their first taste of the majors this coming spring, rather than 2 years ago. I mean, really think about that. These guys are babies. Barely college graduate age. They were all thrown in the spotlight, in New York, no less. Any perception of failure gets magnified, and these guys are too young for that not to affect them. At the same time, being young, they still have a shot to shake it off, and have great careers. Unfortunately, with the "win now" attitude still very much in effect, Hughes and Kennedy will be expected to step up next season, and they'll have an uphill battle to fight. Here's the thing. I'd be weary of Hughes if I hadn't seen that no-hitter. He was dominating that night. He's shown he has the stuff. He's just got to get it together more often (and stay healthy.) Kennedy is clearly another story. He could be a flop or could surprise everyone. Eiland needs to get off his ass and work with him this winter though. Eiland got the job based on his relationship with Hughes and Kennedy. Now it's time for him to earn it. Honestly, I'd fire Eiland before I gave up on the young guns.
Oh. My bad. I honestly didn't mean to misrepresent you, though I do remember you saying that in the past, now that I think about it. On the topic of Kennedy, I said I didn't like his stuff when I first saw him pitch in the majors. He reminds me too much of Mussina. He's got to be perfect in order for his stuff to work. That's why I had hoped Moose would work with him and get him prepared to pitch in the majors. Moose has the mindset for the 82 MPH fastball and all the junk pitches to "make up" for it. So far, it hasn't worked out.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10302008/sports/yankees/yankees_may_gun_for_manny_135928.htm Yankees looking at Manny? He doesn't fit in with the youth movement, or the "we need starting pitching" motto, but I am still of the mind that you can't overlook a lineup with Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez hitting back-to-back. I say go after him. The question then is, what do you do with Matsui and Damon? Only one can DH. Do you keep both and use Damon as the backup outfielder? Who bats at the top of the lineup? Jeter?
Manny wants to be a Yankee... it's just a matter of how much the Yankees want Manny. It's definitely a possibility.
You know I agree with you. The problem, of course, being that the Yankees love that Japanese revenue. Who would bat second? Jeter SS ?? 1B ARod 3B Manny RF Nady LF Posada C Matsui DH Cano 2B Gardner CF I guess if we manage to get Teixeira in, he would bat in the top half of the order, but would he be a #2 hitter? Of course, if Damon is DHing, he'd probably bat first, moving Jeter to second. I doubt Gardner could be a top of the order hitter. Maybe if he learns to bunt he could move Jeter over, but I don't want to see him hit at the top until he proves he can lay off a pitch or two. Oh there's no question Manny wants to be a Yankee. They should have grabbed him when the Sox released him a few years back. I warned that letting him fall back to Boston was a mistake, and it lead directly to our epic collapse. I don't see how you don't bring in Manny at this point. Who cares how he behaves? As protection for Alex Rodriguez? That's a no-brainer.
There's strong rumors from the Bay Area that the Giants and Yankees are talking about a Matsui for Aaron Rowand trade. Aaron Rowand : 12/12/07: Signed five-year, $60 million contract w/full NTC 2008, limited NTC 2009-12 ($8 million signing bonus): 2008: $8 million, 2009: $8 million, 2010: $12 million, 2011: $12 million, 2012: $12 million, 2013: Free Agent Hideki Matsui : 11/16/05: Signed four-year, $52 million contract w/full NTC. 2008: $13 million, 2009: $13 million, 2010: Free Agent Rowand had a bad year in a pitchers park. He should bounce back this year, regardless of where he is. Matsui seems kind of...stupid for the Giants to persue. A slow, aging, lackluster fielding hitter. He can't play DH in the NL, so he is forced onto the field.
