If you don't remember his first three starts with the Yankees, Hughes' fastball was typically under 90mph, and according to fangraphs, averaged 89.7 over those first three games. This past Friday, Hughes' velocity was averaging somewhere between 91-92 mph, and he even hit as high as 93-94 mph at times. Unfortunately, the velocity wasn't his issue on Friday. Instead, Hughes couldn't coordinate the control of his fastball. Of the 72 pitches he threw, Hughes only threw 42 strikes. For a pitcher who is trying to rehab himself against Double-A opponents, it was not an encouraging performance. It was anything but dominant. On the bright side, Hughes' cutter was working well and hitting between 91-93 mph on the gun.
So it seems that Hughes continues to be a work in progress, but his velocity has dramatically improved. He pitched again yesterday in a side session for Larry Rothschild and his velocity continued to improve. Now it's time for Hughes to make some strides and put it all together - his velocity and control. He will pitch again this week for Double-A and make at least one Triple-A start before he returns to the Yankees. His next outing should bring him up to about an 85 pitch count, and the following start could be a 100 pitch limit. (That is all assuming he continues his progress)
Since this timeline would put him back with the Yankees right before the All-Star Game, I have a feeling that Hughes will make at least two starts with Triple-A before he returns to the team. This would continue to allow the Yankees to keep him on regular 5 days rest when he eventually makes his return to the big leagues again. As much as I would like to see Hughes return, it would make more sense to keep him rehabbing as the Yankees have been playing the best baseball in MLB over the last month or so and Hughes' return isn't absolutely necessary. Then hopefully, Hughes can put this all behind him and dominate the second half of 2011 to push the Yankees into the postseason
No comments:
Post a Comment