What To Expect From Hughes in the Bullpen?

With Phil Hughes being moved to the bullpen for at least the next few weeks, its time to sift through his splits and see what we can reasonably expect him to do. I’m going to only use 2009, since this is the first time he’s been healthy in years and he has added a cutter, which effectively makes him a different pitcher.

Let’s start by looking at his First Inning numbers for this season.

The Brøken rip

First Inning

Wow, impressive stuff. Only one run and 3 hits allowed in seven First innings pitched, and hitters have posted a paltry .130/.259/.217 line with an OPS+ of 29. Also, since its the First inning that we’re talking about, that should be facing the opposing teams’ best hitters, making it even more impressive. I’ve noticed this about Phil this season, he really seems to come out of the gate with a head of steam. These numbers confirm what my eyes have been telling me.

Now lets look at High Leverage situations, since were talking about bullpen work:

High Leverage Den of Lions buy

Impressive, his numbers get even better when the pressure is on. Opponents hit .143/.211/.143 sporting an OPS+of -5. Yes, that says MINUS 5.

Now you may remember the horrendous outing he had against Baltimore on May 9th, where he allowed 8 runs in 1.2 innings pitched. All of the damage came in the 2nd inning, which explains why his 1st Inning numbers are so good but his Pitches 1-25 and First Plate Appearance numbers aren’t. I think its fair to dismiss that outing for these purposes, since he won’t be given that long of a leash working out of the bullpen. His 2nd inning numbers are also nowhere near as good as the first, although 8 of the 9 runs allowed came in that one outing in Baltimore.

Girardi has said he wants to avoid using Hughes in tight spots to start off. Let him get his feet wet working out of the bullpen and give him a clean slate to work with by starting his own inning. This is smart, given how young he is and this is a new role for him. But looking at how good he is when the pressure is on, I would expect his role to be expanded if he continues to perform as he has this year.

Related posts:

1. What to Expect from Hughes Tonight
2. Guest Post: The Phil Hughes To The Bullpen Question
3. Hughes in the Bullpen Indefinitely
4. Burnett and Hughes Dominate Tigers
5. Hughes dominates in Texas, Yankees roll 11-1