”No, everybody’s even. There’s no clear favorite. There’s nobody that’s out in front right now. Were going to put the best guy in the that spot that gives us the best chance to win every 5 days. Whether it’s Joba with no restrictions or whether it’s Phil with some restrictions. But you’ve got to remember, Joba had restrictions because he never had a full season in the professional Baseball as a Starter. Phil Hughes has had several minor league seasons as a Starter. So there’s going to be restrictions, but they’re not going to be as strenuous as Joba. And I’ll just leave it at that, right there. There’s restrictions, and were on the side of caution with all our guys. Whether it’s the number 1 guy to the 12th guy in the bullpen. Were not going to abuse anybody or put anyone’s career in jeopardy.”You can listen to the entire interview here.
I still believe Joba will be the fifth starter, but this at least makes it more possible for it to be Hughes. However, I think the Yankees may be more protective of Hughes than Eiland or anyone else in the organization wants to say. He has had injury troubles in the past and the Yankees aren't stupid. They won't push him too much further than he went last year. His highest innings total as a pro was 146 innings in 2006, and I agree with Steve S. over a TYU, who says that's probably the max he'll throw this year if he does in fact start.
