cmaff051 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Hughes could be an elite reliever but his stuff is too valuable as a starter. If you asked him who will be better as a starter, either Joba or Hughes, I would say Hughes and it's not even close.
Hughes could do it, but like you said, it would be a waste. Joba really would be the perfect dominant 8th/9th inning guy, but he has too much potential as a starter.
And I agree, Hughes' ceiling is so much higher than Joba's. Hughes is really a once in a generation pitching prospect. He has the absolute perfect frame at 6'5''/220 lbs. He has a relatively clean injury history, has the perfect pitching arsenal with a 4-seamer, 2-seamer, looping curve, tight curve, and change (3 of the pitches are plus, and that's not counting his nasty slider that he mixes in), and lets not forget about the mental makeup of the kid. The list goes on and on, but if you created the ultimate pitching prospect in a video game, you would model it after Hughes. Now it's just a matter of him developing into the one in a generation major league pitcher.