Mar 7, 2007

Mo threw a CHANGE?

I didn't get to watch tonight's Yanks-Reds game, but reports said Mo struck out Josh Hamilton on a changeup. Yes, a changeup! I've been waiting years for Mo to add an off-speed pitch to his repertoire. A change was Mo's best pitch coming up in the minors, and adding it to his already devastating fastballs will make him all the more dominating - perhaps better than we've ever seen! Unfortunately, I think Mo is just 'playing around' and won't use a change in the regular season. Details tomorrow when I watch it on DVR.

Jayson Stark has a nice, little piece on Phil Hughes. One comment that stood out was from Cash Money - he said the great thing about Cano and Wang becoming stars was that they were able to do it quietly, "and the expectation from the press wasn't there to impede their efforts." This is something I've been thinking: the media hype (e.g. the Post's 'Little Rocket' headline) could make it harder for Phil Hughes to succeed once he reaches the Bronx. The same fans who stupidly boo Arod will see the 'Little Rocket' headline and expect Hughes to dominate from day one. When he doesn't, and goes through an adjustment period (like he's done at every level), the pressure and negativity may prevent him from reaching his full potential (like I believe it's done with Arod, Contreras, Weaver, Rogers ad others). So I don't think it's necessarily bad if Hughes struggles a bit this spring or at first in AAA Scranton because the hype will decrease. And I'm not the only one who think this - Torre (who also said Hughes facing adversity is good) and Cash Money do too.

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