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Finally Finding the Groove: Phil Hughes & Ian Kennedy

2010 has been good to Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. 2,500 miles away, these one time brothers are finally doing their thang. Hughes is definitely taken but Kennedy is only owned in 25% of leagues!

Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were heralded as the future of the Yankees. They were brothers on a mission, studying under the great Mike Mussina. 2007 and 2008 came and went. The Yankees started worrying–their star prospects were looking like duds….

Hughes 2009 campaign was a wild one. Phil started in the minors then caught a break when Chien-Ming Wang went down. He started 6 games, and when Wang came back, the Yanks moved him to the bullpen. With Joba Chamberlain now in the rotation, Hughes had secured the setup role to Mariano. The rest of 2009 was a successful one (8 runs in 58.2 innings / 1.23 ERA) and it seemed like Phil Hughes had found his calling.

Enter 2010 preseason, Hughes and Joba are competing for the final rotation spot.
Joba bombs and Hughes is strong – funny how things change in a year. Chamberlain is now the setup man and Phil is well… Philthy!

5 wins, 42Ks in 44 IP and a 2.25 ERA. Hughes has been so dominant thus far that he is looking like he could be a top fiver. Congrats to those who took Phil in the later rounds! I am truly envious.

But what about the forgotten brother? In '07 Ike was not only compared to Mussina – he replaced him at the end of the season.  Kennedy threw 3 solid games to finish the year and it looked like 2008 was a lock. Well '08, wasn't a lock, not even close. From April to May Kennedy posted a 7.41 ERA before being demoted to Scranton. In August the Pinstripes optioned him and '09 was setback with surgery.

So Arizona picks up Ike for a measly $400K.  Born in Cali and schooled at USC, he's finally back in the hot weather. After his 2nd start which he bombed, Kennedy has been on fire, posting a 2.20 ERA in the past 7. His season WHIP is just a bit above 1 and has struck out 49 in 58 innings.

I see huge things for Kennedy and Hughes in the next few years. Boston rocked Hughes last game so try to make a trade for him, although his owners won’t let him go for cheap. Kennedy is only owned in 23% of ESPN leagues and 26% of Y! Leagues. Now is the time – pick him up!

Who do you think will be the better pitcher in the long run? Hughes or Kennedy?
 
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Tags: Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, Fantasy Sports, The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Marx, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, USC

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