SI.com’s Bryan Smith ended his look at baseball’s top prospects by ranking Philip Hughes 4th. Homer Bailey of the Reds was the only pitcher ahead of Hughes.
4. Philip Hughes, 21, RHP, New York Yankees
2006 Stats (A+/AA): 2.16 ERA, 92H/146IP, 168K/34BBIf Roger Clemens does not return to the Bronx in 2007, Hughes will be the hot-button issue in New York come June. By then, Hughes will be dominating AAA with every outing. The Yankees have done a fabulous job preparing Hughes for his midseason call-up, slowly increasing his workload in the minor leagues. With 146 innings last year, Hughes should be able to pitch consistently through October, by which time he might already be the Yankees’ No. 2 starter. Far more impressive than Hughes’ heavy sinker or jaw-dropping curveball is his understanding of pitching; he is the most intelligent phenom in recent memory. Hughes does not give in to any bat, rarely allows free trips to first base, and gets groundballs consistently from the stretch. Hughes is as good as a New York pitching prospect has been in a long time.
Hughes is the total package. He has some of the best stuff in baseball. Last year at Spring Training, Jorge Posada said that Phil had the best arm of any pitcher in the organization. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi were marveled by his stuff when they stood in against him. The Yankees do need to take caution with the way they handle Hughes. His 146 innings last year were the most that he has ever thrown. He has had some arm problems in the past so they need to make sure that they do not overload him. Hughes probably will see some action in New York this summer. The best move to make would probably be to limit his innings early in the year at AAA Scranton when the weather is frigid. That way they can extend a bit him if he is needed late in the year in the Majors without putting too much extra strain on him. There have been plenty of highly touted guys who have flopped in the bigs so Hughes is not can’t miss. However, with his talent, it seems that injuries are all that could slow him down. His stuff is filthy. He has a battler’s mentality on the mound so the pressure of New York should not hinder him. He also is a very grounded guy as he is married at 20 and not one to have a crazy lifestyle. That means that he will not be derailed by the temptations that New York offer somebody who is suddenly rich and famous.
