Hughes Tweaks His Changeup

Earlier this spring it was reported that the Yankees were looking to have Phil Hughes improve his changeup and start throwing it again, especially if he ends up in the starting rotation. This weekend we learned from George A. King III (hat-tip to TYU) that the Hughes has tweaked the pitch. Here's more from King:

"I tweaked it a little bit," Hughes said of the grip on the change. "I am back to the circle change and getting a feel for it."

...

Though Girardi said Hughes' change-up has looked good in bullpen sessions, the manager will reserve judgment until he sees how hitters react to it when they take their bats off the shoulders.

"You want to see the deception it has when hitters are swinging in a game," Girardi said. "But I like the progress he has made and we need to keep on him and tell him to continue to use it."

Having a pitcher add and/or improve their changeup seems to be a trend in Yankees camp this spring. We saw yesterday--with Javy Vazquez and his curve--what adding a pitch can do for a pitcher, so, I think this is a smart move by the Yanks.

It's worth noting that King also said that Joba Chamberlain was working on the changeup during his bullpen session.