Hughes has me convinced: Starter for life

There’s no question Phil Hughes has solidified his spot in the rotation after his remarkable start to the season. I’ve been saying all along that Hughes has the makeup of a starter, and I think now more than ever he is exhibiting his composed nature.

If you watched his start on Friday, you saw Francisco Cervelli showing more emotion than Hughes. I’m pretty sure Cervelli gave multiple fist pumps after every inning, while Hughes calmly walked off the mound.

In the postgame we saw the same kind of guy. He kept going back to how he is throwing his pitches with more conviction and he has confidence in all his pitches.

When you look at Joba Chamberlain as a reliever, doesn’t it occur to you he belongs in the bullpen? He reminds me so much of Jonathan Papelbon. Not just the fist pumps and the yelling, but the way he pitches and the toughness he displays.

Notice: I haven’t used any stats to back any of my points up. I have no problems with referring to advanced statistics, however, not everything’s in the numbers.

The Joba/Phil debate was always simple to me. Hughes has the repertoire and composure of a starter, while Chamberlain has the deadly two-pitch combo and the emotion of a closer.