Well, the Yanks got Cole

21 year old pitchers don’t deserve to pitch at the MLB level. Especially a pitcher who didn’t even pitch in college; therefore, not being as refined as others. He needs to get healthy and spend the rest of the year at AAA, develop a change, and then he will go on to dominate the way everyone on this list knows he can.

The Yankees kept Zach McCallister and Betances in extended ST and Rookie ball before they even touched low A full season. They are both 19 or 20 and both project to be pretty good pitcher. That alone just proves what kind of a dominant pitcher Hughes can be.

So 2007 never happened? He didn’t light the world on fire, exactly, and please don’t give me his RCAA numbers. But as a 20/21 year old in the bigs (with basically no AAA experience) I think he proved that he can pitch up here, and potentially pitch well.

FWIW, the “we’re still waiting” comment was meant tongue in cheek. But, while we’re on the topic, what exactly has Phil Hughes proven, to date, at an advanced level, besides the fact that he’s injury prone?

(He asks, ducking.)

You guys just keep taking the bait…hilarious.
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I’m not sure Steve writes to be provocative. I think this is how he feels so I’m not sure he’s baiting us the way a Lupica or a Mad Dog Russo would.

You guys just keep taking the bait…hilarious.

Besides, we’re still waiting for the last Yankees “first-round RHP from a California High School” pick to reach his “potential,” aren’t we?
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Hence we should never draft right-handed pitchers from California high schools since they’ll all inevitably be failures with bad attitudes, poor workout habits, a lack of velocity, and an unhealthy interest in blogging.

In that context, the statement was made as if to say “Hughes STILL hasn’t reached his potential. Oh, sigh. Oh, woe is the Yankee fan. Having to wait SO LONG for this bust to give us something.”

But he’s 21 friggin’ years old. He doesn’t even have two full years in the bigs. Obviously he hasn’t reached his potential — nor should we expect him to reach his potential this early. But then again we’re talking about someone who said Kennedy was a “failed prospect” because he got sent to the minors for a start. Sometimes you just have a fundamental lack of understanding about a subject.

But you know… seriously… who cares anymore?

I guess the question can be asked if you think Hughes has reached his potential yet… I don’t think he has, but it’s still early.