Jared Hughes
| IP | 541 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 2.961 |
| WHIP | 1.238 |
| BB/9 | 3.161 |
| SO/9 | 6.172 |
- Full name William Jared Hughes
- Born 07/04/1985 in Stamford, CT
- Profile Ht.: 6'7" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Long Beach State
- Debut 09/07/2011
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Drafted in the 4th round (110th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006 (signed for $305,000).
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Hughes entered 2003 as one of the nation's top prep prospects--ranked right with lefthander Andrew Miller, the No. 1 overall prospect this spring--only to have a so-so spring that sent his stock tumbling. He opted to attend Santa Clara, but a shakeup in the coaching staff and a difficult first season there led Hughes to transfer to Long Beach State. He isn't a strikeout pitcher and profiles for the back of the rotation, despite his big frame. His two-seam fastball sits at 90-91 mph and has average sinking life when Hughes is at his best. He has a good feel for his solid-average slider and gets a lot of groundballs with both pitches. He can throw a decent curve, and his changeup, which has cutting action in to lefthanded hitters, could become an average pitch as he throws it more often. Hughes is intelligent, and at times too analytical and just needs to stay aggressive in the strike zone. While scouts have questioned his competitiveness over the years, Long Beach State's staff has been pleased with his makeup and approach.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Hughes was one of the top high school pitchers in the nation after his junior year in Laguna Beach, Calif., but his stock dropped after a subpar senior year as he struggled with a back injury and questions about his makeup. He decided to play college ball at Santa Clara after the Devil Rays drafted him in the 16th round in 2003, and he transferred to Long Beach State after one season. He signed last June for $305,000 as a fourth-round pick. Hughes' fastball was clocked at high as 97 mph in high school, but he doesn't throw that hard anymore, working more at 90-92, albeit with better sink. The fastball gets on hitters quickly, though, because of the deception his 6-foot-7 frame creates in his delivery. Hughes' slider is an above-average pitch and he's able to change speeds on it, but he has trouble commanding his changeup. The knock on Hughes has long been that he lacks competitiveness, and he has never dominated hitters as his stuff suggests he should. He often nibbled in his first pro season rather than attacking hitters and had an uneven debut. Hughes will go back to low Class A to begin the 2007 season. At this point he projects as a pitcher at the back end of a rotation.
