Hi! My Name Is: Phil Hughes (SP)

Each day, "Piss and Wynegar" will present Yankees "player previews" for the coming 2008 season. In what can only be referred to as a "revelatory" strategy, we will use statistics, as well as opinion, to further our analysis.

Phil is leading the charge of what I have lovingly dubbed, "The Kool-Aid Brigade." The "brigade" is made up, of course, of Mr. Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy. The name is derived from the strangely overly-optimistic prognosis for the Yankees pitching staff that has arisen over the course of this off-season. It seems that most everyone truly believes that all three of these guys will blossom in 2008, despite the fact that history (and the law of averages, for that matter) would beg to differ.

But we'll save that for a more cynical post.

As far as Phil Hughes goes, we'll lay bets that he does just fine. In his 13 starts last year, Phil was statistically underwhelming in an admittedly small sample size. His 58 K's in 72.7 innings was okay, while his 29 BB's was alarmingly high. However, the die hard fan inside points to two moments that illicit great optimism:

1) Hughes's 6 1/3 inning "no-hitter" against the Texas Rangers on May 1 was one of the most exciting nights of 2007, as well as one of the most frustrating. His command and movement were "as advertised," and even though he left the game with a hamstring pull, no one could argue that Hughes was not the real deal.

2) Hughes's relief performance against the Indians in Game 3 of the 2007 ALDS was immensley satisfying. He had command, gitty-up and, most importantly, poise on a big stage. It was reminiscent of the Texas game and reminded fans (and maybe the organization) that he had the goods to succeed.

If the aforementioned Phil Hughes shows up for a large chunk of his starts, he'll ensure himself as a fixture for the future. If he doesn't, than the cries of "How could Cashman not make that Santana deal?!" will reign down on the Stadium sooner than we think.

To read earlier "Hi! My Name Is" entries, click here.