Yankees replace Hughes with Huff in rotation: Good move?

David Huff

Yesterday, the New York Yankees announced that 29-year-old David Huff will be replacing Phil Hughes in the starting rotation. He will make his first start this Saturday against the Boston Red Sox.

Huff is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 16 innings this season. The catalyst of this move seemed to be when Huff replaced Hughes after a long rain delay on Monday, and pitched a strong five and two thirds to earn his first victory while with the Yankees. Meanwhile, Hughes had an absolutely dreadful season with a 4-13 record and a 4.86 ERA, it is quite clear that the change was needed.

Now, Huff has only pitched 16 innings and manager Joe Girardi is really putting his first start in a tough spot. Here’s why: the Yankees have heated up and are in the thick of the wild card race and they will battle the team with the best record in the American League; needing a key win. Not to mention it’s the best rivalry in baseball. While Huff has been great in pinstripes, he was previously in Cleveland and has a career ERA of 5.18, which is very alarming given the little innings he has pitched with the Yankees.

In the end, starting Huff at this point of the season is the right decision. Huff feeling as if it’s his final chance at being a starting pitcher in the MLB could go out and blow the Red Sox away. The Yankees don’t need a great start from Huff if he gives them six innings, and three runs should be enough to put the Yankees in a position to get the win given how great the Yankee offence has been lately. The clubhouse could rally around Hughes, who has in the past been lights out in the bullpen and could allow him to regain some confidence and maybe at some point return the starting rotation. Overall, Yankee fans shouldn’t expect a legendary performance from David Huff, but at this point any start is better than what Hughes has been giving them.

Do you think Girardi made the right move?