This was a really nice piece from Lynn Worthy about AA RHP Collin McHugh with quotes from both B-Mets manager Wally Backman and Pitching Coach Marc Valdes and McHugh himself.
Backman on McHugh:
“He turned himself into somebody this year… If he stays healthy, he’s going to pitch in the big leagues.”
Backman on keeping McHugh in AA despite some ugly-looking numbers to start the year:
“You’re talking about a kid with a six-something ERA, we were only going to have him for a short time,” Backman said. “We begged to keep him. They said, ‘Okay, go ahead you can keep him.’ Once you ask for a guy like that and they let you have him, you’re stuck with him. He did all the work you had to do. He definitely the most improved and most consistent pitcher that we had here for the time he was here, without question, even more so than our two big guys (Familia and Harvey).”
McHugh on McHugh, explaining his AA success:
“(I was) more aggressive, more aggressive in the strike zone…You can’t give hitters too much credit. Pitchers always say that, but it’s the truth.”





