Written by Greg Fertel
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14 February 2007
Hey all! I'd like to take a line or two and introduce myself, as I'm new to the MVN team. My name's Kim, and I'm a die-hard Yankee fan. I live for MiLB, too, because I'm close enough to get to the games pretty frequently. I'm pretty excited to be writing for MVN!
So, while I'm snowed in up here in New Jersey, the weather's clear in Tampa and pitchers and catchers are getting ready for their first workout. Everyone down in Yankee camp is watching Mussina's arm and welcoming Andy Pettitte back. Pretty soon you'll be able to hear the ding of the ball against Jeter's bat and the smack of a snagged line drive in Cano's glove. However, Spring Training is not just about the big boys. For many baby bombers, it's a chance to show the front office what they're made of. From the looks of it, it'll be hard to get their attention away from right-handed wunderkind Philip Hughes.
Hughes, the Yankees' #1 draft pick three years ago, already knows what it's like to shine. Last year in Spring Training, his name was on everybody's mind. If I recall correctly, it was A-Rod who said that Hughes had major-league stuff already. He started off last season in single A Tampa, and went 2-3 in 5 games with 30 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA. He quickly moved into AA Trenton and didn't miss a beat. In 21 games, he went 10-3 with a 2.25 era and 138 strikeouts and held hitters to a .179 average against. The main reason that he doesn't have more wins is the fact that the Yankees put him on a 5 IP per game restriction, and the Thunder offense sometimes did not pick him up in time. He finished the season with two 5 IP games, giving up two hits in one of them and none in the other. In the ten innings, he walked one man and struck out 14.
I've seen Hughes pitch three times while he was in Trenton, and it's electrifying. He'll prove what the hype is about in March, and I don't think it will be too long before he finds himself in Pinstripes for real.
