This 2009 Phil Hughes card (published that same year) is a bit strange but I kind of like it. Check out his pitching grade. He is a Grade D (A&C*) (XY).
As APBA players, we’re mostly used to split grades like C(B*) or D(C*). On occasion, we will see a D (B*) split grade but we rarely see a D (A*) combination. Hughes takes it one step further by receiving the A&C* bullpen grade.
If you look at Phil’s stats with the Yankees for the year, his variant split grade is borne out. Hughes did a whole lot better as a reliever than as a starter.
| Split | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| as Starter | 3 | 2 | .600 | 5.45 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 37 | 22 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 31 | 1.500 |
| as Reliever | 5 | 1 | .833 | 1.40 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 51.1 | 31 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 65 | 0.857 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/13/2017.
Not surprisingly, all of his starts occurred at the beginning of the season (April and May). The Yanks decided that the rotation wasn’t for him and put him in the pen where he thrived.
I think this kind of pitching grade granularity is great. My only question is why limit it to just Hughes? I would think that other pitchers would deserve some detailed grading as well?
After his successful run in the pen in 2009, the Yankees interestingly put him back in the rotation the following year. Since then, he has pitched primarily as a starter and mostly successfully (75-69 record and 2.0 BB/9IP).
thanks to Doug S.!
