Yankees’ Arizona League Players Announced; Hughes Next?

Baseball America via Was Watching’s MJ:

Courtesy of an article on Baseball America, the Yanks will be sending a handful of their prospects to play for the Surprise Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.

The Yanks playing in Arizona this fall are:

Ian Kennedy, RHP (AAA, SWB)
Austin Romine, C (Hi-A, TAM)
Brandon Laird, 3B (Hi-A, TAM)
Colin Curtis, LF (AAA, SWB)

The league also has spots for three more Yankee pitchers although those players haven’t been named yet.

One has to wonder if Phil Hughes is going to factor into Arizona or any kind of winter ball for that matter.

Between majors, minors, and Arizona in 2008, Hughes threw 99.2 innings.  So far in 2009, he’s thrown 92 innings.

At the rate Girardi has been using him lately (10.1 innings in August), Hughes will barely break last years total, plus whatever he throws in the postseason.

If the Yankees truly believe Hughes is going back to the rotation next year (and they better…), he has to pickup more innings in Arizona or somewhere this winter.  Another 30 innings in Arizona like he did in 2008 would make a lot of sense.