Results tagged ‘ 5th starter ’
Presenting your 5th starter …
Now that it is official, let’s hope that Joe Girardi and the Yankees learn from their (continued) horrendous handling of Joba Chamberlain and properly limit Phil to approximately 170 innings, slightly higher than the 160 set for Joba last season. A good start could be following the guidelines that I have recently set.
Congratulations, Phil. We’re all rooting for ya to succeed in 2010.
“Hughes Rules”
So far this month, my sports life has been enveloped by March Madness — the last sporting event I give my undivided attention to before Opening Day. The drama of the very first set of games and the purity of college sports is enough to have me hooked from around my birthday (I turned 22 on Selection Sunday) until the 1st weekend of the baseball season. This is where “win or go home” becomes a way of life for two weeks.
But don’t think I’m not paying attention to what’s happening in Tampa.
As fellow Yankees MLBlogger and 161st & River writer Hiba alluded to in her latest post on Pretty in Pinstripes, Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves are the frontrunners in the 5th starter competition. She briefly mentions the few fans that still see Joba Chamberlain as a starter, and while it is still a possibility beyond 2010 it is looking more and more that Hughes will be the man Joe Girardi chooses to join CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Javier Vazquez in the Yankees rotation — and, judging by the spring numbers, rightfully so.
(This doesn’t mean that Joba shouldn’t still get a chance to be a starter, but that’s another post for another time.)
Should Phil win the competition this will be the second season that he breaks camp in the rotation, also doing so in 2008. That season, he failed to record a win and his season was cut short because of injury. This setback caused him to fall behind Joba development-wise and left fans wondering if he would be healthy enough to live up to the can’t-miss hype surrounding him. Hopefully this season will be different.
- In the first week of the season, the Yankees have two off days: April 5th in Boston and the April 8th travel day. Girardi can afford to skip Hughes the first time through the rotation like he did with Joba last season, potentially making his season debut April 11 in Tampa.
- As I mentioned before, Girardi started skipping Chamberlain’s starts and limiting his innings after the All-Star break. The same must be done for Hughes but with one major variation — the limitation should be done in the first couple months of the season. This will allow Phil to gradually build up his innings and put him in a better position to help the Yankees in the stretch run (like the Tigers did with Rick Porcello last season).
- In those first couple months, Hughes should be piggybacked by one of Chamberlain, Aceves or Chan Ho Park — depending on the situation. This way, everyone gets their innings in relatively regular work. Piggybacking should cease once he has the strength to go at least 5-6 innings without trouble.
By following these main guidelines, Phil should gradually build up the strength necessary to endure a 162-game season without losing effectiveness like Joba did last season. It should also be the building block necessary for the Yankees to insert him in the 2011 rotation without question.
(You may be wondering if Joba has the same restrictions should he make a furious comeback and win the spot. The answer should be obvious, but one would think the reins would be off and Girardi would allow Chamberlain to let if fly without the infamous “Joba Rules” hovering over him.)
Do the right thing, Joe — don’t limit Phil the same way you limited Joba last season. It will make everyone’s lives easier.
cjsmoov
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