New York Yankees: 5 Bold Predictions for Phil Hughes in 2012
March 7, 2012 · Ken DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Phil Hughes‘s first start of the spring came Tuesday against the Pirates and much attention was paid to the outing.
Although slated to pitch two innings, Hughes reached his pitch count after just 1 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits. He recorded one strikeout and did not walk a batter.
When looking at the box score after Tuesday’s game, many would assume that the Yankees would not have been pleased with his outing. After all, allowing one earned run and four hits in less than two innings is far from spectacular.
The Yankees were pleased, though. Why?
Hughes was consistently hitting 93 MPH on the radar gun, a drastic improvement from the 88-91 that he sat at last season.
Hughes was shelved for a majority of the 2011 season because of dead arm and he will need to prove to the Yankees that he is completely recovered before awarding him the fifth starter’s job over Freddy Garcia.
If Tuesday’s live arm is any indication of the rest of the spring, then we could realistically see Hughes hitting 95 MPH by the final days of March.
If that happens, the Yankees will have no choice but to put him in the rotation.
With the return of his live arm, expect good things from Hughes in 2012. Here are my bold predictions for his upcoming season.
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