From BA’s Prospect Blog:
“He was drifting through the balance point of his delivery a little bit, and it wasn’t allowing him to be as sharp,†Eiland said. “The command and life on his fastball were still OK, but it wasn’t Phil Hughes-like. He worked on that between starts.â€
That’s not to say Hughes is not a self-aware pitcher. Eiland credits the 20-year-old with having high pitching aptitude and a sound delivery. “You’ve got to tell him just one small thing and he’s back where he needs to be. Every now and then your delivery is going to be a bit off. He corrects himself,†the pitching coach said.
…
“Our goal is to just keep him going, to help him develop his changeup. He just needs experience and innings. He’s just 20-year-old, and I think a lot of times we forget that. He needs to pitch in big situations–men on second and third with one out–to see how he responds.â€Though Hughes came out of high school with an advanced slider, the Yankees have helped him develop a curveball, a pitch that generates more swings and misses and reduces arm strain.
“He still throws the slider two, three, four times a game, if at all. He still throws it on side days,†Eiland said. “That slider’s still there.â€
I’m glad to hear he’s still got the slider, but I’m sorry, the kid is as ML ready as you can possibly want a prospect to be. He won’t face many of those “big situations” in the minors, he’s just too good.
I know I sound like a broken record, but he should be in the bigs right now. No doubt about it.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.