The Minnesota Twins have made a surprising roster move with the pitching staff. Puckett’s Pond is here to fill you in on the details.
Phil Hughes has been designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins. This news comes as a bit of a surprise to some Twins fans. However, Hughes has struggled and the writing has been on the wall for a while.
Prior to suffering a string of injuries, Hughes put up solid numbers for Minnesota. He surpassed 200 innings pitched for the only time of his career during his first season with Minnesota in 2014.
He had 186 strikeouts in 209 2/3 innings pitched and that isn’t even what stands out the most about that season. Hughes walked only 16 batters and finished the season with an astounding .7 BB/9. Unfortunately, that represents the apex of Hughes’s career with the Twins as things have not gone according to plan.
Why this move was long overdue
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Hughes never came close to matching that production again while wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform. He pitched a grand total of 268 innings, to the tune of a 5.04 ERA from 2015-17, and struggled to stay healthy. His strikeout numbers plummeted while his walk rate climbed every season.
Entering this season, Hughes battled his way back from yet another injury. However, his appearances have left little hope for his future. His first two starts were…so bad the dictionary doesn’t have a word for it. He pitched seven innings and allowed six earned runs giving him a 7.71 ERA, rivaling only Lance Lynn for the worst ERA on the staff.
Things didn’t get any better for Hughes in the bullpen. He pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs with five hits and two home runs allowed. As a Twins fan, I would rather see this guy…
…trying to get outs before expecting anything from Hughes.
The Minnesota Twins have enough bullpen issues without worrying about getting Hughes right again. For Hughes, this will give him a chance to latch on to another team early enough to have a possible impact on this season.
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Hopefully, he signs with Cleveland or the Yankees and sticks in the Majors. That way, maybe Minnesota can finally get a little bit of return on their initial investment.