An Open Letter to Every Yankees Fan Who Booed Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy

Dear Garbage,

Fuck you. You are a worthless piece of human detritus who gives Yankees fans a bad name. Booing kids in their early 20s because they don't meet your expectations? Classy. It's not like these guys are making $30 million a year, and you can claim you're booing them because they're not earning their lofty contracts (although that's a poor excuse for booing as well). You read in the newspapers, and on blogs like this one, that these kids are good. And they haven't been good.

So what do you think booing them will accomplish? Toughen them up, make them True Yankees? Bullshit. You're making hard times harder, and if you morons have any effect at all, it will be a negative one. You want to boo Ed Whitson? ARod? Danny Tartabull? Fine. Have at it. Boo guys who don't seem to be giving an honest effort? Hell yes. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy? FUCK YOU IN THE FACE.

Love,

PF

And PS, Savior, sorry about that whole not-believing-you-were-really-hurt-thing. Hard to blame me though, as evasive as Joe Girardi has been about injuries.

I Believe in Coyotes and Time as an Abstract

Raise your hand if you really think Phil Hughes has a strained oblique muscle.

Please Don't Do This

If the Yankees include Phil Hughes in a trade for Johan Santana, I will be apopletic. Apocalyptic. And fucking miserable.

Phil Hughes will have as much value as Santana over the next 5 years, at one-tenth the cost. And the Yankees aren't winning the World Series in 2008, Santana or no.

Cashman...don't let Hank Steinbrenner win. Don't bring back the 1980s. Stick to your guns. Threaten to quit, do whatever it takes. Don't let the best pitching prospect in baseball get away.

Take a Bow, Mr. Hughes

The savior lived up to his moniker tonight, literally saving the Yankees season. Hughes showed tremendous poise keeping the Yankees in the game after Cy Old staked the Indians to an early lead.

If Bruce Froemming had an IQ over 45, this series would be 2-1 Yankees right now.

One note: Joba Chamberlain looked genuinely tired in his second inning, with his velocity significantly down. I know this was an elimination game, but did he have to go two innings? Now he can't pitch tomorrow night, when it might actually be a close game.

It's the Final Countdown

The Yankees beat the Orioles last night 8-5, surviving another puzzling, mediocre outing by Phil Hughes and a mini-meltdown by Kyle Farnsworth in the 9th.

Fortunately for the Yankees, Daniel Cabrera was his usual wild self (whatever happened to the Mazzone Effect?) and the Bombers cruised to a relatively carefree win.

Hughes's velocity was weak again, as he often failed to top 87 on his fastball, if the YES radar guns are to be believed. Hughes also seems to tire consistently in the 5th or 6th inning, so arm strength seems to be an issue for him right now.

The playoffs are in clear view now, as the Yankees took advantage of a Tigers' loss to move 3.5 games up in the Wild Card. The Yankees are as close to Boston as Detroit is to the Yankees, and they're exceedingly likely to stay right where they are.

Less than two weeks until the end of the season, and the Yankees are in good shape. Which is important because Mike Mussina is starting tonight and Minky seems to have won back the first base job. Some things never change; some people never learn.

Phil Hughes Answers the Call

I consider it an extremely good sign that Phil Hughes has pitched well enough to win against two weak A.L. offenses in his last two starts. Hughes clearly doesn't have his best stuff, velocity or command right now, yet he's showing himself to be a canny enough pitcher to win anyway, at least against light-hitting teams. But beating light-hitting teams is just about half the battle.

Whether he's tentative, or still hampered by injuries, it doesn't look like Hughes will show us again this year why he's the best pitching prospect in baseball. That's fine, we can worry about that in spring training if he still looks off. Right now, the Yankees need a #3/#4 starter, and it's beginning to look like Hughes might be their boy.

After the game, Hughes said, "I didn't have that swing-and-miss fastball tonight but I was able to battle through and the offense took over." That sums up his last couple months, but maybe that's OK right now.

The Radar Guns of Navarone

The most watched man in last night's blowout win over Seattle wasn't Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain or Alex Rodriguez. It was the dude holding the radar gun clocking Phil Hughes's pitches.

As concern grows about Hughes's velocity and results, no one can seem to figure out why he's not throwing 93-95, the way he was in the minors. Is he still injured? Tentative from the old injuries? Building arm strength? Overrated?

Last night, Hughes was consistently in the 90-92 range, which is better than he's been the last few starts, but not where he needs to be if he's going to merit his hype. His last fastball, pitch number 97, struck out Ben Broussard but only clocked in at 87 MPH.

Hughes had better results last night, giving up two earned runs in six innings, but neither his velocity nor his command seem right. He's still locating his fastball up in the zone, and when it's not 95 MPH, guys like Raul Ibanez are going to hit it out of the ballpark. Seattle is a free-swinging team that doesn't have a lot of great hitters beyond Ichiro, otherwise last night could have turned out a lot worse for Hughes and the Yankees.

Even though Hughes has only really shown his potential in one big-league start this year (the abbreviated no-hitter), I remain hopeful that his ability will win out. Scouts and numbers alike agree on this kid the way they rarely do on any prospect, and I don't believe he's the pitcher he's shown so far this season. I'm not worried yet. Not much.

My Heart Rate's Still Not Normal the Next Morning

As the Yankees began a 20-game stretch that will help us all better understand how good they actually are, rookies Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain shut down the A.L. Central-leading Indians for 8 innings in guiding the Yanks to an impressive 6-1 win.

Despite hitting into a seemingly endless number of rally-killing double-plays against Fausto Carmona, the offense did its part, led by Alex Rodriguez's 501st home run. Robinson Cano and...

Fuck it, who am I kidding?

Last night was all about Phil and Joba, Joba and Phil. Two 21-year-olds who hold the Yankees' present and future in their inexperienced hands. Watching Hughes pitch, you already feel like you're in the hands of a master, a guy who knows how to harness his stuff and get outs even when his control isn't all there. And Joba? My God. He looks physically like a young Roger Clemens, but throws even harder.

Seeing these two in the same game was like watching a young Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida partnering for the first time. The only problem is, I'm not sure which one is Jack anymore.

Don't love the pitching matchup today, and I'm worried that the humidity in Cleveland may be about 5-7% too high for the finicky cat, Mike Mussina. Also, I've heard the hotel the Yankees are staying in doesn't scramble Moose's eggs just the way he like them. Could be trouble.

The Yankees do catch a break, though, as Travis Hafner will likely miss the entire series with a knee injury. Good thing, too, because it's important for the Yankees to take two out of three this weekend, since Seattle is facing the dreary White Sox and Detroit plays Tampa Bay.

By the way, if Joe Torre hadn't been suspended for last night's game, what are the chances that Joba would have stayed on the bench, while more sturdy, experienced veterans like Jim Brower and Farnsie coughed the game up? Even seeing the clueless one sitting in the stands made me nervous: What if he was sending secret text messages to Mattingly?

They Are Not Long, The Days Of Wine And Roses

Well, after two of the most relaxing games imaginable, in which the Yankees belted 13 home runs in 16 offensive innings, Roger Clemens got pounded by the White Sox today. The Rocket left the game after 1.2 innings, having given up eight runs. Robinson Cano didn't help matters with a throwing error, but there's no excuse for Clemens's performance.

The Yankees recent success has disguised the fact that their starting pitching has been poor. Andy Pettitte got good results last night, but didn't pitch particularly well. The same goes for Mike Mussina the night before. Clemens has clearly not looked good lately. Even Wang has not been at his Wangian best.

Phillip Hughes, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you...

The 2008 New York Yankees

If you believe, as I do, that the Yankees have little to no hope of making the playoffs this year, then it's time to focus on improving the team for next year and beyond. Baseball Prospectus's PECOTA-adjusted playoff odds give the Yankees a 20 percent chance of getting in to the dance either as a division winner or (more likely) Wild Card. With all due respect to Mr. PECOTA, I think that's a little on the high side.

The Red Sox aren't collapsing — their starting pitching is too strong and consistent, the back end of their bullpen is phenomenal, and they don't have the gaping wounds in their collective psyche that would have haunted them before 2004.

The Tigers and Indians both look strong too, and unlikely to let an 8.5-game lead slip away. The Tigers are much better than they were last year, with Sheffield and a resurrected Magglio Ordonez mashing, and Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander holding strong as the tentpoles of the rotation. Cleveland has a solid roster top-to-bottom, led by unheralded (if crooked-capped) ace C.C. Sabathia. Their two best hitters, Hafner and Sizemore, underperformed in the first half, if anything. The starting pitching is a bit suspect after Sabathia, and Sweaty Joe Borowski (and his 5.35 ERA) is one of the worst closers in baseball, but this is still too good a team to lose a big second-half lead. I hope I'm wrong. But I'm not.

Meanwhile, our tortured antiheroes, the Yankees themselves, prepare to mount a late surge to push back the insurgents and take the land that's rightfully theirs. Sadly, many of the problems that plagued them in the first half won't magically disappear because we want them to:

-Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens are all nearing the end of their careers, and all are capable of solid-to-great performances. But old pitchers and consistency don't go hand-in-hand.

-Phil Hughes can't be relied on to stay healthy, despite recent encouraging developments.

-Even with the Erubiel Durazo signing, the Yanks are shaky at best at the cold corner. Durazo hasn't slugged above .406 at any level since 2004, and Miguel Cairo and Andy Phillips are still in the picture. It's an ugly fucking picture.

-Johnny Damon's body is being used as a host by Bernie William's vengeful spirit. This has caused Damon, and his pain-addled carcass, to post the following OPS's by month this season: .678, .777, .619, .584.

-I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but a rotting corpse is currently backing up Jorge Posada.

-The bullpen and bench remain absolute war-stricken disaster zones.

-Joe Torre still has his finger on the button.

So...yeah. The playoffs would be an amazing achievement for a team this poorly constructed, this poorly managed, and this snake-bitten (literally...nothing's been the same since the 2001 W.S. loss to the Diamondbacks). I don't think they're getting there. And if they don't, I don't care if they win 80 games or 93 games. Leave the moral victories to cute little teams like the Mariners and the Giants.

If the Yankees can find a way to improve their future at the trading deadline, they have a responsibility to act. Unless they can pull a game-changing, potentially illegal Bobby Abreu-type trade to drastically improve their chances this year, they should be looking forward and letting the '07 team die a quiet, peaceful death. Small moves and band-aids at this point won't be enough to save the current season.

But is there anything available that will help the '08 team? Let's assume that the Yankees don't go nuclear, and they re-sign Posada and Rivera after the season. That means the roster next year won't start off looking that much different from this year's underachievers:

C Posada
1B ???
2B Cano
SS Jeter
3B ARod? (player option to walk)
LF Matsui
CF Damon/Cabrera
RF Abreu? ($18 million club option)
DH Giambi/Damon (It should be a legally sanctioned state holiday when the 2009 season ends and Giambi's albatross of a contract is finally off the books)

Say goodbye to: Minky, Miguel Cairo.

Now how about the pitching?

SP Wang
SP Hughes
SP Pettitte? ($16 million player option)
SP Mussina
SP Igawa (signed through 2011!)
RP Farnsworth
RP The Great Rivera

Say goodbye to: Mike Myers, Luis Vizcaino, Ron Villone.

The smart money says Pettitte stays. ARod will test the market. And the Yankees will let Abreu walk. So there are holes to fill at 1B, RF, possibly 3B, possibly SP, and of course the always woeful bullpen and bench.

At this trading deadline, there are a couple different options for the Yankees. Remember, this is an extremely weak free agent class coming up. In areas where the Yankees need help, Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, Jermaine Dye, Eric Gagne, Freddy Garcia, Luis Gonzalez, Mike Lowell, Ichiro and Carlos Zambrano are the highlights, such as they are.

The Yankees can sell off, loading up on prospects and adding to the good, young pitching that is the organization's most salient current strength. They can attempt to acquire a long-term solution at a weak position by trading for a player (think Mark Teixeira) soon to be a free agent and then signing him long-term. Or they can attempt to make small moves, fixing problems like backup catcher now, rather than wait until the off-season when there will be other priorities. (Certainly, Brian Cashman hasn't shown any predilection for dealing with the bench in off-seasons past.)

Their most tradeable asset is clearly Alex Rodriguez, assuming he waives his no-trade clause. He's the best positional player in baseball. A contending team trading for him would receive a huge second-half boost and a potential leg up on signing him in the off-season. But it's unclear what kind of haul the Yankees could expect in return for what amounts to a half-season rental. The Nationals pulled Alfonso Soriano off the market last year in a similar situation because they couldn't get the level of prospects they were seeking. ARod's a better player than ASor, but Soriano was in the midst of a career year.

The Yankees could probably get one blue-chip prospect for ARod, a legitimate stud, particularly if they sought a position player like the Tigers' Cameron Maybin or one of the Angels' stock of young hitting talent. They could also probably get a collection of young B+ arms. I doubt they could get a blue-chipper plus a legitimate current major leaguer of value. Young talent is too valuable in today's market.

If they do trade ARod, the pressing problem becomes what to do at third base. There are no good answers on the free agent market. No one is coming quickly in the farm system. ARod's production is near impossible to replace. For that reason, the Yankees should not deal the troubled slugger, but instead pursue him aggressively in the off-season and sign him to an extension. In the later years of that contract, he won't be worth the money he'll make. But for the next 3-4 years, the Yankees need ARod at third if they're going to content.

So how about dealing for Teixeira? Andruw Jones? Dye? Jones and Dye have been abysmal this year, and Kenny Williams seems to ask for unreasonable trades. Mark Buehrle for Phil Hughes? Give me a fucking break, Kenny. Go sign another Darin Erstad.

That leaves Teixeira, who might not fetch too much in return given his post-2008 free agency, and the Rangers' desperate straits. But the Yanks would need to give up some of their good, young pitching to get him. the package would likely start with Joba Chamberlain. That's too steep a price to pay for a 27-year-old first baseman with a career .903 OPS? I honestly don't know.

Unfortunately, the Yankees hands are tied by a lot of their current contracts. And they have a large number of holes to fill without the benefit of a good free agent class. They'll need to give up something to get something. Teixeira is a proven talent, and young pitching fails more likely than it succeeds. Given that the Yankees will also need a right fielder and possibly a third baseman, I'd try to make the deal.

There are no quick fixes coming in the Bronx, that much is clear. The system's young pitching is probably the solution, but unless some of the arms are used in trades, that solution might be three years away.

In the Hands of the Bullpen

Kei "Shades" Igawa's line today, as the Yanks go for 3 of 4 from the Twinkies: 5 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K. And one 5-2 lead blown.

I really miss Phil Hughes. Sometimes, late at night, it's like he's there in the room with me. I call out his name...but he never answers.

UPDATE: And on the flip side, the bullpen goes 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K. Outudueling the Twins' bullpen is not the way I expected the Yankees to win this game.

Game ball to Hideki Matsui. It must feel great for him to come up with a big hit.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeep. Boom.

Turns out all that beeping wasn't preparing us for the Jack Bauer-style emergence of Phil Hughes. The beeping was coming from the time bomb that is Phil Hughes's frail little body. A bomb which has now exploded.

Hughes is out until late July or August with a grade 3 ankle sprain, on top of his earlier hamstring injury.

Just in case you didn't already think the Yankees were fucked.

UPDATE: Will Carroll is reporting that Hughes won't be able to resume throwing for 8-10 weeks, and is out until late August. I really don't care for Will Carroll right now.

I Don't Need the Whole Song...Just a Taste

Now that I've calmed down enough to rationally...FALSE. I HAVE NOT CALMED DOWN.

Last night's game was one of the most excruciating experiences I've had as a sports fan, given the Yankees' rough start and spate of injuries.

Of course, being me, I started thinking about the no-hitter in the third inning, but by the seventh, I was excited, superstitious and legitimately hopeful about the possibility. Phil Hughes had amazing stuff, and the weak Texas lineup looked overmatched.

Going from that high to the devastation of watching Hughes clutch his hamstring while Posada waved for Gene Monahan has rendered me an emotional cripple. The injury, which will sideline Hughes 4-6 weeks, tears apart all of the good that came from last night's game — namely, an easy win and a dominating performance from Phil Hughes.

With Mussina and Wang on the comeback trail, the Yankees were looking at a solid-to-great top four of Wang, Pettitte, Mussina and Hughes. Now, they're right back to scrambling, especially with Jeff Karstens shelved for a while with a broken fibula. What should have been a super happy fun time May Day win that buried a brutal April and looked ahead to a brilliant future has been tainted.

Once again, the Yankees' conditioning program has been called into question, with yet another muscle pull by a member of the pitching staff. For me, the Hughes injury is the tipping point.* These tweaks and strains are too numerous now to chalk up to coincidence.

This DL stint will certainly make the Yankees' job turning their season around significantly more difficult. The momentum potentially gained from last night's win is sitting in shatters in the visitors' clubhouse in Arlington, along with the withered remains of Phil Hughes's hamstring.

* - Fuck the phrase "the tipping point," and fuck Malcolm Gladwell.

Other notes from the Phil Hughes performance

Let's pretend for a moment that the injury never happened and we just have a game to analyze.

Hughes turned in a phenomenal performance, forcing 8 ground balls to only 3 fly balls, striking out six and walking three. Any concerns from his shaky first start were alleviated almost immediately, as Hughes was popping the radar gun, getting grounders at will and keeping his pitch count down. He also showed impressive ability to get hitters to swing through his pitches.

Particularly fun to watch was the first-inning at bat when Hughes threw three successive change-ups to Mark "I Suck in the First Half and my Name Sucks to Spell" Teixeira, with Tex whiffing mightily at all three. Gutsy call from Posada and the kid.

Late in the game, Hughes even had the confidence to shake Posada off a few times. Two starts, and one miserable setback, into the Phil Hughes era, and it's looking promising indeed.

Other notes from the game

I liked what Joe Torre did with the batting order last night. Batting Bobby Abreu first makes a lot of sense with Damon out, given his insanely high on-base rates and current lack of power. Unfortunately, I think Torre made the move more to shake Abreu up than out of any nod to statistical principles. And, man, Abreu does look lost at the plate right now.

I also like batting Giambi third, ahead of ARod, splitting up the Giambi/Matsui lefty-lefty stretch. And Melky Cabrera and Minky deserve to be nowhere but as far down in the order as possible.

Derek Jeter has hit in an amazing 57 of his last 59 games. Jeter is simply a hitting machine, although his power continues to fade gradually as his early-thirties become his mid-thirties.

Torre needs to institute a rule that Minky can never, ever swing with a 3-1 count. And sometimes not on 3-2, depending on the game situation.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME

#%$!@!

Huuuuuuuuuuughes

All in all, more good than bad from Phil Hughes last night.

The kid definitely has major league stuff and poise, and he should be here to stay. He dominated the Jays' weaker hitters, particularly Adam Lind, but Toronto's three tough righties (Wells, Thomas and Rios) were all over Hughes with great swings and rocket line drives.

Hughes didn't throw as hard as I expected, living in the 91 MPH range and occasionally touching 94-95, which is where I thought he would throw consistently. I have two concerns after his first start: he gave up a lot of fly balls, especially to righties, and he doesn't seem to have that one dominant out pitch that screams "ace," a la a Johan Santana change-up or Felix Hernandez curveball.

That being said, I was impressed that Hughes kept attacking hitters, a refreshing change of pace after watching Igawa and most of the bullpen nibble at corners all year. Home plate umpire Ed Montague squeezed the kid a little, particularly against Vernon Wells, and the Blue Jays also took a smart, patient approach at the plate, taking a lot of pitches. The result was Hughes falling behind a lot and running up a high pitch count. He seemed to tire early, around the 80-pitch mark.

I remain supremely excited for the Phil Hughes era. Given all the hype that some overanxious assholes were pushing on the kid and his debut, he handled himself quite well, and I don't think you can call his performance a letdown.

Listen, on Jesus Christ's first day on Earth, he pretty much just laid around, cried, messed his pants and spit up. So, in that light, Hughes was pretty fucking impressive.

And I know Joe Torre doesn't trust young pitchers, but I don't remember him blatantly sabotaging one before, which is exactly what he did last night by batting Dougie Baseball second. With this pitching staff, the offense needs all the help it can get, and Minky, Miguel Cairo (whose poor fielding also cost Hughes dearly), and the rotting corpse currently serving as backup catcher are dragging the Yankees down at-bat by at-bat.

Batting Minky second in this lineup deserves its own post, but frankly, I'm tired. Joe Torre should know better.

Now, Pettitte vs. Douche-K tonight in the opener of a series the Yankees absolutely must win.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

One hour, fifty-six minutes, fifty-three seconds.

No pressure, kid.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Across the land this morning, people are awakening to find that something feels...different. As they step outside to fetch their morning paper, they notice the air feels cleaner, somehow. Lighter. Easier to breathe.

The life-giving heat from the sun embraces the body, wrapping its warm tendrils of hazy yellow light tenderly around you in a gentle morning hug. There is no bad news in the paper today, or if there is, you don't notice it. The front section is filled with stories of puppy Labradors rescuing children from the lake and inexplicable upturns in the economy. The obituary page is empty.

The welcoming aroma from the Folgers crystals fills the house like a gentle "good morning" from the heavens. A happy tune fills your head, and you whistle it jauntily to yourself on the way to your fulfilling job.

Wives and husbands make sweet, delicate love, some for the first time in years. Barren women feel a strangle tickling in their uteri. Impotent men achieve impressive erections without the help of prescription medication. Parents keep their children home from school for the day, feeding them sugary cereals and dreamily promising them future trips to amusement parks.

In this springtime of our hearts, we lift our heads as one and look to the piercing blue sky, unsure of our direction but clear that it's the right one. In this resurrection of hope, this glorious rebirth of youth, we do not know ourselves any better but we love ourselves completely and without hesitation.

Babies born on this day will always feel special, as if they are destined for some greater realm, though they will never truly understand why. Fetuses with Down Syndrome will be born healthy. Today, leaders of men are born. The cross is in the ballpark.

Meanwhile, in an unholy land to the northeast, thunder clouds gather on the harbor. Lightning crackles but doesn't yet reach ground. A sudden chill assaults a city, and its denizens must dig their winter coats out of storage. The sickly odor of death creeps through the streets, infecting every alleyway with its swift poison. The beer in the Samuel Adams brewery goes stale, all at once and with no warning or explanation.

The dark lords of this unholy land gather in a secret meeting high above the crumbling tunnels and bridges. Cigars are smoked and theories are whispered, but no resolution is reached. They flee helplessly to the west, foolishly trying to outrun a power that knows no earthly bounds. A reckoning is upon this land. Why deny the obvious child?

Seven hours, thirty-six minutes, forty-eight seconds...

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The countdown has begun. The Jack Bauer of baseball will make his first major league start 58 hours and 3 minutes from now.


Even though the game WILL NOT BE ON FREAKING TV for people outside the New York area. In case I've never said this before, Bud Selig, fuck you.

Who the F&*$ is...Chase Wright?

24-year-old Chase Wright takes the mound at Yankee Stadium tonight for his first major league start, against Pronk, Sizemore and the tough Indians lineup. The lefty wasn't even in the mix for a potential starting spot in spring training, when the likes of Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner were jockeying for position, so who the hell is he?

The Yankees drafted Wright out of high school in 2001 with a third-round pick, and the 6'2" Texan has worked his way up through the franchise's low-level minor leagues since. He pitched for the Class A Tampa Yankees last year, going 12-3 with a 1.89 ERA. Wright struck out 100 in 119 innings, with a 1.16 WHIP. His career minor league ERA is 3.85 in six seasons.

Baseball Prospectus forecasts a 5.51 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 2007, applied to the major league level. Needless to say, Wright is not considered a top prospect. He is only getting a shot due to two factors: the team's inexplicable refusal to call up Phil Hughes before he's "ready," and sheer desperation born of injuries.

According to the man himself, he throws a "2-seam fastball in the 87-91 MPH range, sometimes hitting 93-94 MPH, but that's pretty rare. I throw mostly 2-seamers but every once in a while I mix in a 4-seamer. I throw two different curveballs. One is around 70-72 MPH and I throw a harder one around 77-82 MPH...I also throw a changeup around 78-82 MPH."

Wright is off to a hot start at AA Trenton this year (small sample size, blah blah blah), and Pending Pinstripes argues that the Yankees shouldn't call him up because such a move would impede his progress as a pitcher. I don't buy that. The Yankees need innings, they need healthy bodies, and most importantly, they need wins. Such an attitude may be short-sighted, but this isn't Felix Hernandez or Phil Hughes we'd be potentially screwing up. It's Chase Wright. Moreover, I haven't seen any evidence proving that calling pitchers up "too early" causes long-term problems.

Still, I agree that Wright shouldn't be called up. But only because I think Hughes should be the one starting tonight, spring struggles be damned.

It's Time