07/28: 20 Questions W/ Phil Hughes
Posted by: James
It must be Yankees week over at MiLB.com this week. Buy one Yankee, get the second one half-off! In any case, much like the earlier Q&A with Jose Tabata, Sapna Pathak gets a chance to sit down with Phil Hughes. Again, Hughes comes off as remarkably mature and well-spoken for someone of his age and even though he was drafted at the tender age of 17, he seems very pratical and even-keeled. I've condensed some highlights below but check out the whole piece if you get a chance.
MiLB.com: What was it like being selected in the first round by the Yankees?
PH: I was contacted by some other teams, and they'd pretty much said they wanted me so it was kind of nice to have that safety net there. But to be taken by New York was unbelievable.
MiLB.com: You mentioned improvements; what are some improvements you've noticed in your game?
PH: Last year was a big learning experience for me. This year, my fastball location has gotten better and I'm at the point with my curveball where I can throw it in any count at any time.
MiLB.com: You are being hailed as the future of the Yankees on quite a few Web forums. Is that a lot of pressure to handle?
PH: It's tough at times because there's a lot of high expectations there. People think I'll dominate my first time in the Majors, but it'll take time; only a few people can come out and really dominate. It'll obviously be another learning process when I get up there. (Pretty astute assessment.)
MiLB.com: What players did you look up to as a child?
PH: Growing up I was never like that. I played different positions and didn't start pitching until high school. Guys like Greg Maddux or Roger Clemens I admire because of the longevity of their careers. (Amen to that!)
MiLB.com: What games and who's your biggest competition?
PH: Spades or Big Deuces which is an older game that Kevin Howard introduced us to. Me and Jamie Cox have been known to talk some trash (laughs). (I'm assuming he's referring to J.B. Cox - I've just never heard him being called Jamie before.)
PH: I was contacted by some other teams, and they'd pretty much said they wanted me so it was kind of nice to have that safety net there. But to be taken by New York was unbelievable.
MiLB.com: You mentioned improvements; what are some improvements you've noticed in your game?
PH: Last year was a big learning experience for me. This year, my fastball location has gotten better and I'm at the point with my curveball where I can throw it in any count at any time.
MiLB.com: You are being hailed as the future of the Yankees on quite a few Web forums. Is that a lot of pressure to handle?
PH: It's tough at times because there's a lot of high expectations there. People think I'll dominate my first time in the Majors, but it'll take time; only a few people can come out and really dominate. It'll obviously be another learning process when I get up there. (Pretty astute assessment.)
MiLB.com: What players did you look up to as a child?
PH: Growing up I was never like that. I played different positions and didn't start pitching until high school. Guys like Greg Maddux or Roger Clemens I admire because of the longevity of their careers. (Amen to that!)
MiLB.com: What games and who's your biggest competition?
PH: Spades or Big Deuces which is an older game that Kevin Howard introduced us to. Me and Jamie Cox have been known to talk some trash (laughs). (I'm assuming he's referring to J.B. Cox - I've just never heard him being called Jamie before.)
Mike A. wrote:
It wouldn't surprise me at if he called him Jamie just to bust on him a bit.