Kuzul

A week into March, spring training is well under way. Many veteran players lament having to go through the grind, but for others, this time of year provides hope in many forms.   Be it a career revival after a down season, a former standout looking to bounce back from a key injury or an unproven player fighting for a roster spot or starting position, spring training provides plenty of reasons for baseball fans to start paying attention early.  Most teams have at least a handful of players who fall into one or more of the aforementioned categories, leading to some intriguing position battles as we work toward opening day. Here I’ll break down eight of the most interesting competitions heading into the 2012 MLB season.Begin Slideshow

The Yankees were no match for the newly-extended Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates today in Bradenton. To celebrate his new six-year contract with Pittsburgh, McCutchen killed the Yankees for two hits and two RBI.CC Sabathia was given the ball to start the game—his first live game action this spring. He pitched pretty well in two innings of work, allowing three hits and a run while recording one strikeout.When asked about how he felt, Sabathia responded, "I've still got work to do, but my arm feels good and my body feels good."He threw 35 pitches over the course of two innings.Phil Hughes saw his first action of the spring as well, throwing 1 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs (one earned), allowing four hits and striking out one.Although he was slated to go the full two innings, some tough spots prevented Hughes from going any further in the contest.After having problems ...

In his first outing this Spring, Phil Hughes looked closer to his 2010 form. After dropping some weight, Hughes was hitting 92-93 on the gun, according to scouts. Now these numbers aren't staggering, but for someone who was having trouble breaking 90 last year, this is a great sign. We already know Hughes has great off-speed stuff, so if he can mix in his fastball around 93, he'll be anchoring the rotation and helping the Yankees to another division title and No. 28. Now I know it's only one start, but in his case, this is a big step forward. After being an All-Star in 2010, Hughes had a terrible 2011, and his future was often in doubt. He isn't out of the dark yet, but he can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. It seems that Hughes has shown up to camp in great shape, and hopefully things stay ...

It might not be obvious now, but Phil Hughes will be one of the most watched and vital pieces to the New York Yankees' success in 2012. Hughes, in my opinion, will be the third starter barring a surprise (or not so surprising) lapse before the season starts. Success in that slot of the rotation will be important in giving the Bombers stability in their starting five. We basically have a good idea what you're going to get from CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, but beyond that, there is no certainty. Even Nova, with only one full year of experience, isn't exactly a given. A.J. Burnett will be a toss-up, while Freddy Garcia might have a tough time duplicating 2011. That makes Hughes' role monumentally more important. He could be the wild card. If you factor in health, it's easy to make the case he's just as big a question mark as the ...

The New York Yankees have been known for buying all of their players via free agency instead of bringing up young talent from their farm system. And while the Yankees have been very active in free agency and trades, they have brought up some very good players, with some of their prospects becoming stars while some have not.International players who spent less than one season in the minor leagues, such as Hideki Matsui, will not be listed.Lets see who the are Yankees' 10 most highly touted prospects since 1990.Begin Slideshow

The best phrase to describe the pair of young pitchers in the Yankees rotation should be polar opposites. Despite both arriving on the Yankees MLB team, they took completely different roads to reach where they are today. Most intriguing is how the trend has continued. One of them is making the most of his shot at the majors, and the other is making daily bids for his spot in the rotation. Phil Hughes was the American, drafted young and coaxed along in the minors. He quickly became one of the top prospects in baseball, and he was the first name brought up with every trade rumor.Some impressive starts, including a no-hitter through six innings, his second career start and the only playoff win for the Yankees, and he earned himself a spot in the rotation the next season. This is where the wheels fall off. Despite being handed a rotation ...

Every Monday I will be bringing you the Top 3 hot and cold baseball players from around MLB. The twist, I’ll also be providing a buy or sell recommendation on the cold players to help you decide if this is a guy to target in a trade offer or someone you should cut if they’re clogging a bench spot. I'll also give advice on those playing well, if you should sell high or buy the continued dominance.   For the last week, here are your Hot & Cold recommendations—   HOT   Paul Konerko Last 7 games: .393 Avg, 5 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB Call: Sell Konerko will get you around 30 home runs and 100 RBI, but if an owner in your league is seeing over 40 homers and a .300+ batting average, sell high.   Matt Kemp Last 7 games: .407 Avg, 4 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 SB Call: Buy Kemp’s average will cool off, closer to ...

All spring, the New York Yankees showed no concern over Phil Hughes' lack of velocity. Perhaps the shellacking he received on Friday at the hands of the Boston Red Sox will get their attention. Hughes was absolutely torched by the Red Sox, giving up seven hits, six runs and two walks in just two innings of work. He only induced one swing-and-miss and, once again, his velocity was suspect. For the second start in a row, Hughes averaged only 89 mph. If his velocity continues at this pace, it will mark the third year in a row that the velocity on his fastball has taken a dip. In 2009 his fastball was coming in at 93 mph and last year his fastball was averaging 91 mph. Hughes clearly hasn’t figured out how to compensate for his lack of velocity and you almost have to wonder if it’s in his head. After the game, Hughes ...

Coming into the season, the New York Yankees' biggest weakness was their starting rotation. With no fourth or fifth starter and an inconsistent AJ Burnett pitching third, the Yankees were expecting big seasons from CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes. Sabathia has answered the call. Despite not winning a game, he has already pitched a gem against Minnesota and thrown a good start in the opener against Detroit. However, Phil Hughes has not looked anything like the All-Star pitcher we saw in the first half of last year.  After getting lit up against Detroit, going four innings and giving up five runs, Hughes was shellacked by a struggling Boston lineup, lasting only two innings and conceding six runs. After two starts, Hughes is 0-1 with a 16.50 ERA. Hardly what the Yankees were expecting from their young stud and future ace. The problem with Hughes is exactly the one Javier Vasquez had last year: Namely, his ...

Phil Hughes was born on June 24, 1986 in Mission Viejo, California. A little less than 25 years later, the sorry sack of dog**** went to Boston and gift wrapped the first win of the season for the hated Red Sox, who beat the New York Yankees 9-6.Everything had been ailing Boston early on this season. They couldn't pitch. They couldn't hit. They couldn't win a single game out of three against the Texas Rangers, and then they couldn't even manage one win against the awful Cleveland Indians.The INDIANS! That's how bad things were for Boston. But no matter how poorly things are going for you as a team, there is nothing that cures all of baseball's potential ails like Pathetic Phil Hughes showing up to pitch (for lack of a better term) against your nine.The Yankees actually gave Pathetic Phil a quick lead, scoring two runs in the top of ...