Patience...Except When You're Bad

I think one of the most interesting aspects of this coming season that has yet to be discussed relates to Phil Hughes. His rotation status from the standpoint of opening day has obviously been debated in relation to the variety of other options that exist, however all likelihood suggests that at some point this year he will get his chance at holding down a rotation spot either through injury, his own performance or the simple fact that he is Phil Hughes and the Yankees are not yet ready to give up on the player once dubbed the 'baby rocket' by Jason Giambi.

Presuming that Hughes gets his shot is a fairly safe bet. What is less safe and about as volatile as RBS shares are is how fans will react to Phil Hughes. Fans are by nature quite fickle so again it would be safe to say that if he wins they will love him. What will be far more interesting to see is if he doesn't get it done right away, how long will Yankee fans tolerate him...better yet how long will the front office tolerate poor performance?

Prior to the start of last season the general statement from the front office was that Hughes, along with Kennedy, had their rotation spots, essentially for better or worse, with the realisation that the backup options were not any good and would not serve as any real form of organisational development if they (they being the likes of Rasner, Karstens) were put into the rotation ahead of Hughes.

A few weeks into April the organisation was singing a completely different tune. Hughes and Kennedy had both flopped. Hughes was evidently injured, but he only attributes the injury bothering him in his final start before his DL stint, so sadly he really was that bad in April. The general consensus was that had it not been for the injury Hughes would have likely been sent down to the minors for what had been considered a major disappointment in terms of his performance, essentially confirming a worse case scenario for the Yankees when they constructed the 08 season roster with a goal of being lead by young players like Joba, Hughes and Kennedy (JHK).

Now compare this year’s roster to last year’s. Last year the vast majority of fans believed the Yankees had enough to compete and rightly so. That being said it would have been a stretch to presume this team would be a title contender when the plan was at one point to have a rotation comprised of 3 rookie starters. Even with the rationale fan and some within the organisation taking such reduced expectations, no player was spared for poor performance and that included Phil Hughes. So what does that say about what response he should expect to get if he is poor this year?

This team is on another level compared to last years, in terms of talent, added wealth and most importantly expectations. My belief is, if you can't win with this team, and win right away then whom can you win with? The brunt of such expectations falls on the Usual Suspects and obviously the new additions, but also on the likes of Hughes. If Hughes couldn't get some slack on a team that probably wasn't set up to win last year, then what will the response be if after 5 starts he is putting up numbers similar to those seen in the first month of last season, for a team that is meant to dominate without exception?

It will be very interesting to see if the Yankees soldier on with Hughes, again providing that health is not an issue. Alternatively and more worryingly the Yankees, like some fans (myself included) may lose patience to the point where JHK, which is now arguably only JH, suffers another loss to leave only Joba from what was the most anticipated group of prospects in the Yankees for many years.

Am I exaggerating here...ask Ian Kennedy! His early promise from 07 starts against Tampa, KC and Toronto have been banished from the minds of fans in place of the pitch after pitch that was either wide of the plate or shot into the outfield. Phil Hughes is only sparred from Kennedy status due to his hype, his better stuff and the fact that his injury saved him from himself.

Will he be just as lucky this year?

*****

I thought I'd borrow an idea from the Sports Reporters and finish with a parting shot. Please though don't take this the wrong way. My general disdain for the vast majority if not all of the main media extends to the Sports Reporters cast so this shouldn't be taken as a tribute to their so-called expertise, rather an attempt to do it better than they do.

Kevin Youkilis signed with the Red Sox last week for $40 million over 4 years. In his press conference Youkilis stated that money isn't a big deal to him, that he loved Boston and that his wife and family were part of the decision. That's right, his wife and family. Weren’t they the same reasons that Teixeira mentioned?

Even though their logic was the same, it was Teixeira, and more importantly his wife who were mocked by the media, including Peter Gammons for their decision making process. Then again that is to be expected for you see Boston is a magical place. Where 42 year olds are good investments, where 2nd place in a Cy Young a few seasons ago means you are due for greatness, where injuries magically heal, where 39 isn’t as old as it is in the Bronx and where you can take into account your family without everyone taking shots at you.