The Sommer Frieze

The Yanks/Twins game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN today at 1 p.m. Ian Kennedy is scheduled to start with Joba then getting in his work.

Phil Hughes continues to impress. Granted he only got in one inning yesterday due to the rain, but the words so far of Manager Girardi (quoted by Kevin Kernan in today’s NY Post), “best starter of the early spring” and Johnny Damon “Phil is definitely the cream of the crop. I see ace material written all over him. He’s got two plus pitches. I think he’s going to have a big year” are definitely encouraging. At 21 and with the nickname of the Franchise, is Hughes ready to become the ace already? Is he already ready to justify not trading him for Santana?

In case you were wondering, should Phil have a monster year, he would not be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. He pitched too many MLB innings last year. Kennedy and Joba are eligible.

Yesterday was a huge day for Kei Igawa, who after the disaster against USF needed a big day and had one. Six up, six down, two “Kei’s.” Now the question arises of whether he can be straightened out to develop into some kind of contributor or if it was just a tease. As for the long man/spot starter role, Igawa faces tough competition from Jeff Karstens, who has had a great spring so far. As for a lefty bullpen specialist, Billy Traber’s 1-2-3—all K’s—on top of a good outing over the weekend vs. the Phils has given him a leg up. Traber had a rough intrasquad game, but has bounced back nicely. I think Igawa’s SWB-bound. So far, Karstens and Traber have definitely made good marks for themselves. 3 1/2 weeks to go.

And with 3 1/2 weeks to go, it appears that Shelley Duncan (6 for 9, 8 RBI) has made a good mark for himself. Hideki Matsui (knee, stiff neck) is still a week to 10 days from game action. The Yanks insist it won’t hold him back, but let’s look at things realistically. He isn’t ready to play the field yet. His first game at bats may not come until the Ides of March—giving him just two weeks of playing time before the season starts. We were worried about balancing Damon, Giambi and Matsui? Right now it looks as if Godzilla starts on the DL (2 weeks?), Duncan and Giambi alternate between 1b and DH, Damon is in LF, and who knows, Brett Gardner or Jason Lane may make the team (for a couple of weeks anyway) as a backup OF.

Joba and Hughes will both make under $450,000 this year. Hey, the team only has the hammer for so long. Soon enough, these guys will have the hammer, and if they are as good as we hope they are, they’ll use it.