Phil Hughes has always been his own worst critic so it was
not surprising to hear him describe his 2011 baseball season as a wasted year.
But I’m glad to hear that he is doing everything he can to avoid a repeat in
2012.
The New York media has pronounced Hughes to be fit as a fiddle, which is saying a lot as the writers hammered him for being out of
shape last spring. Hughes’ reshaped physique is a manifestation of his
determination to avoid a repeat of his bad 2011 campaign (again his word, not
mine). I thought his bad luck with injuries was the main cause of his struggles, but Hughes is not taking any chances, working his body hard to make
sure he is ready to fight for his job when pitchers and catchers report on
Sunday.
Hughes must be feeling tremendous pressure, even with the
possibility of an AJ Burnett trade that could help clear a path for him to a
rotation spot. The New York Yankees sure aren’t putting potential stud Michael
Pineda in the bullpen and Ivan Nova performed well in that #2 spot after CC
Sabathia. With veterans Hideki Kuroda and Freddy Garcia in the mix, Hughes will
have to demonstrate that he can re-claim the stuff and mental toughness that
made him an All-Star in 2010. The young right-hander has already proven that he
can be successful in the bullpen so any misstep in spring training will send
him back there rather quickly.
So Hughes is using his “wasted” 2011 campaign as motivation
to bounce back and once again become the star pitcher he has shown us he can
be. I’m looking forward to watching the comeback.
No comments:
Post a Comment