Yanks' hot prospect calm amidst the hype
By Mel Antonen, USA TODAY
2006
TAMPA — Phil Hughes is a 18-year-old pitcher preparing for a summer at out-of-the-way Scranton, Pa. Nothing unusual about that, except Hughes is trying to stay out of the way of talk that he's the savior of the New York Yankees' rotation.
The personality of this Southern Californian — he's officially Philip Hughes III but prefers Phil — might be ideal to handle the expectations.
He's a 6-5 bruiser who is quiet and confident, yet humbled by the Yankees' clubhouse. He's a homebody who relaxes by cooking — he does chicken tacos and mashed potatoes — and playing with his three dogs. He prefers observing rather than speaking.
"We always called him the 'Little Old Man' because he's very mature, and he was never chitty-chatty," says his mom, Dorianne. "At a party, when everyone is talking, he doesn't say a word. It doesn't take him long to figure everyone out. He's an observer. And he knows he belongs."
Hughes, whom Baseball America ranks as the game's fourth-best prospect, was 12-6 with a 2.16 earned-run average and 148 strikeouts in 146 total innings at Class A Tampa and Class AA Trenton (N.J.) last year. The right-hander throws a fastball, slider, curve and changeup. The Yankees say he will pitch this year at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, no matter how well he does during the exhibition season.
But with concerns about two starters — Japanese rookie Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano, who hasn't pitched since June 2005 — the New York media fire daily questions to manager Joe Torre about bringing Hughes north when the team opens at home April 2 against Tampa Bay.
Torre says the rotation is set with Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang and, in case of injury, Hughes wouldn't be the first choice called up.
Hughes won't come to the majors as a reliever, either, Torre says.
Still, could Hughes be the one who energizes the rotation in July? That's possible.
"A lot depends on what you see from here to there," Torre says.
The New York Mets saw a lot in 1984, two years before Hughes was born, to start 19-year-old Dwight Gooden, who burst on the scene by going 17-9 with a career-high 276 strikeouts in 218 innings.
But that is a rarity for a blue-chip prospect at Hughes' age because emotional and physical injuries can wreck a pitcher's career. Torre thinks of the Chicago Cubs' Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, who have battled non-stop injuries after starting in the majors at 20 and 21, respectively, and is sensitive to young pitchers carrying huge workloads.
"You have to let their physical abilities catch up because they are not used to pitching that many innings, especially under pressure," Torre says. "It makes sense that there's more stress, more strain. You have to go slow."
Designated hitter Jason Giambi sees a young Roger Clemens in Hughes and says the Yankees could have used him last season. Backup catcher Todd Pratt says Hughes compares to the Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling, with a curveball that reminds him of the Philadelphia Phillies' Brett Myers.
"He's legit; he's electric, one of the best I've ever caught" in 14 major league seasons, Pratt says.
Starting catcher Jorge Posada says he is reminded of catching Pettitte in their Class A days when he catches Hughes. After a few pitches, Posada says he knew Pettitte was going to have big-league success.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says given how rare and expensive elite pitchers are, it pays to proceed cautiously.
Hughes is "a long-term asset, and we aren't going to put his career in jeopardy for short-term gain," Cashman says. "In the long term, he can save the organization a lot of money. We have to protect him."
Fanfare just around the corner
Hughes, a No. 1 draft pick in 2004, is the centerpiece of the Yankees' project to inject youth into the rotation.
The club traded outfielder Gary Sheffield to the Detroit Tigers and left-hander Randy Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a combined six pitchers. Among those, Humberto Sanchez, 23, and 24-year-olds Steven Jackson and Ross Ohlendorf project to land in the rotation behind Hughes.
When Hughes gets his promotion, he will be the club's first No. 1 pick to play for the Yankees since shortstop Derek Jeter, who came up in September 1995 after an injury to Tony Fernandez. Jeter, who became the regular in 1996, says the hype was different.
"You always earn what you get, but I was never supposed to be the savior of the team," Jeter says. "I was supposed to play good defense, hit .250 and fit in. We had a lot of veterans on that team."
Jeter, the team's captain, says the veterans helped him deal with the expectations of being a Yankee. His locker this camp? Next to Hughes'.
"The best way to deal with it? Don't pay any attention to the hype," Jeter says. "Never sit around and think about how good you are. Instead, focus on how to improve.
"His head's on straight. He doesn't walk around like some people could in that situation."
Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon says the hype is good and will make Hughes tough, the sooner the better.
"Just get it out of the way," Damon says. "This might be the toughest part of his career. If he can't handle it, he can go somewhere else and relax.
"If he handles it, he will be bigger than big."
Hughes seems relaxed enough. As he sits at his locker signing baseball cards for fans who have mailed him and included self-addressed stamped envelopes, Hughes says he understands the Yankees' plan for him. He still has work to do.
"I want to work on getting ahead in the count," Hughes says. "A changeup is something I have to work on. It's a feel pitch. It's about getting your arm speed consistent. I have to figure out a way to slow it down without changing my arm speed. It's definitely a good pitch to have."
No drawn out negotiations
Growing up in Mission Viejo, Calif., Hughes could never let anything get in the way of baseball.
His mother says he was constantly doing pitching and batting motions "whether we were in church or the grocery store. We've called him Mr. Baseball since he was 5." The other day, when he was shagging fly balls in batting practice, she noticed he was doing similar motions as he stood in the outfield. Although a Californian, Hughes was a fan of the Boston Red Sox, especially Mo Vaughn and Nomar Garciaparra.
The love of Red Sox was handed down from his father, Philip Jr., who grew up in Rhode Island. The two went to games in Fenway Park and Pawtucket, R.I., home of the Red Sox's Class AAA team.
Hughes was drafted in June 2004, and four months later, the Red Sox won the World Series. "It was ironic," his dad says.
After high school, Hughes was set to attend Santa Clara University on a full scholarship to play baseball and study business. But the family — including older sisters Mollyanne and Kimberly — decided Hughes would turn pro if offered a "life-changing amount of money," which they determined as $1 million.
Contract negotiations took 15 seconds with the Yankees, who offered a $1.4 million signing bonus.
"They said, 'Will that work?' " the elder Hughes recalls.
"Phil said, 'Yup.' They said, 'OK,' and Phil said, 'Thank you.' "
Four days after his high school graduation, Hughes was off to start his career. That summer he pitched five innings for the Yankees' rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League. In 2005, his first pro season, he was a combined 9-1 with a 2.19 ERA for two Class A teams.
Last season, he was so dominant at Trenton that he never faced a bases-loaded situation.
His parents are spending March driving around Florida in an RV. They have their dog, Lucille, and their son's 110-pound boxer, Max. Sampson, a 4-pound miniature dachshund, and Meika, a 120-pound Bernese mountain dog, decided not to make the trip.
Dad can't imagine what his son goes through.
"I feel bad for him in a way because when I was 20, I don't know how I would have reacted to the expectations and pressures," says the elder Hughes, who teaches courses to certify notaries public.
"He's laid back, calm and mature. Nothing will go by this spring without him seeing it. He'll see how the players handle themselves, how they handle the press. He'll get it all."
After spring training, the parents will go back to California. Their plans are to return in late summer.
"But, if he gets called up, we'll drop everything," Hughes' father says.
And let the hype begin.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/2007-03-07-hughes_N.htm
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