The only article from today that matters

Is this one, from the Daily News. Blog namesake Phil Hughes, nearly traded this offseason for Johan Santana, threw 4 hitless innings yesterday. He has yet to allow a hit in 6 innings this spring. Yesterday, he struck out 1 and walked 2. Some of the good stuff:

"My fastball was good," Hughes said. "I threw some good breaking balls and a couple good changeups, but my slider was pretty bad. It's getting there."

Manager Joe Girardi likes what he sees:

Joe Girardi called the outing "really good," praising Hughes for using all his pitches, holding baserunners and "doing everything he has to do to be successful."

Said Girardi: "It seems like he's growing as a pitcher."

After his injury last year, we didn't see the real Phil Hughes until the playoffs, when he picked up the only Yankee victory against Cleveland, and I'm still not convinced he was even all the way back even then. Lacking his usual leg drive, he lost much of the snap on his curveball and some of his velocity. His 4.46 ERA is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a 21-year-old learning to pitch in the Majors, but it's made even more impressive when you consider that he did it without having his best stuff. I was only ever able to watch short clips of him pitching in the minors, but one thing I noticed when watching him with the Yanks was that, even sitting around 90 MPH, he still got a lot of swings and misses on his fastball. It seemed hitters had a hard time getting a read on the pitch. Having his normal velocity back will help him tremendously.

I'm expecting big things from my favorite Yankee this year. He's not yet ready to contend for a Cy Young, but he probably can put up a high 3's ERA and win a bunch of ballgames, which is what the Yanks need from him. Of course, his innings cap will limit him somewhat, but I still think he'll make the team happy that they held onto him. I can't wait for his first regular season start.