New York Yankees’ Phil Hughes looking to bounce back – MLB Update
Phil Hughes is one of the most talented young pitchers in Major League Baseball right now. After making his Major MLB debut with New York Yankees in 2007, the guy has produced some great performances. However, inconsistency has halted his progress significantly over the last four years. The right handed pitcher struggled to achieve his desired goals in an injury troubled season last year and he will be looking to bounce back strongly in 2012.
“Sure,” Hughes said, “That’s fine. I don’t care what you label it as... Throwing as much as I did in 2010, maybe I thought that I needed more rest than I really did that offseason. Maybe I didn’t push it as hard as I could’ve."
“It falls on me and I paid for it with a disappointing year. I don’t want that to happen again. If you want to say it’s complacency, I can’t determine what people think or what they say, I just have to put that behind me and focus on this season.”
Working with the Yankees coaching staff, Hughes is trying to bring more improvement in his throwing technique these days. He is also working out regularly to stay health and fit for the entire next season. In some ways, Hughes will have a lot to prove in this season. Yankees manager’ Joe Girardi has shown a lot of faith in him by keeping him on the roster. However, the manager is concerned about his health and Hughes will be looking to succeed at any cost to prove that he deserves a place on Yankees’ roster.
It will be interesting to see if the starter can put up consistent performances to win the fifth starting spot on Yankees pitching rotation. In his first Spring Training appearance of the season, Hughes looked a bit out of sorts as he allowed two runs on four hits in a 4-7 loss to Pittsburgh Pirates. He was called to the bullpen after throwing 38 pitches. The 25-year-old starter will be looking to make the most of available opportunities in the upcoming Spring Training games to shut his critics.
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