Jim Hughes--1976
Like a shooting star, Jim Hughes shone
bright for one season before burning out
after 78 big league appearances.
Drafted thirty rounds after legendary
Twins’ hurler, Burt Blyleven; Hughes was
an improbable 33rd rounder who made it
to the majors.
The back of his card notes that::
“Jim’s greatest baseball thrill was pitching
a 7-inning perfect game for Lynchburg
vs. Rocky Mount, 7-30-72.”
It was one of 13 wins that season for the
20-year-old, which helped convince the
Twins brass to jump the right-hander
from A-ball to Triple-A in 1973 and to the
big leagues by 1974.
However, while Hughes enjoyed his only
winning season in the bigs as a 23-year-
old topped Blyleven for team honors with
16 wins in 1975, he experienced
wildness posting the third highest walk
total for the American League. The righty
would be unlucky as he stumbled to 9-14
record in ‘76, as 15 unearned runs were
plated against him courtesy of a Twins
defense that led the Junior Circuit with
172 errors.
Hughes would appear in just two more
games for the Twins after the 1976
season, before meandering through
Triple-A ball again as the decade closed,
drifting off into the 1980s never to be
seen again in a professional game.
(8/15/10)
bright for one season before burning out
after 78 big league appearances.
Drafted thirty rounds after legendary
Twins’ hurler, Burt Blyleven; Hughes was
an improbable 33rd rounder who made it
to the majors.
The back of his card notes that::
“Jim’s greatest baseball thrill was pitching
a 7-inning perfect game for Lynchburg
vs. Rocky Mount, 7-30-72.”
It was one of 13 wins that season for the
20-year-old, which helped convince the
Twins brass to jump the right-hander
from A-ball to Triple-A in 1973 and to the
big leagues by 1974.
However, while Hughes enjoyed his only
winning season in the bigs as a 23-year-
old topped Blyleven for team honors with
16 wins in 1975, he experienced
wildness posting the third highest walk
total for the American League. The righty
would be unlucky as he stumbled to 9-14
record in ‘76, as 15 unearned runs were
plated against him courtesy of a Twins
defense that led the Junior Circuit with
172 errors.
Hughes would appear in just two more
games for the Twins after the 1976
season, before meandering through
Triple-A ball again as the decade closed,
drifting off into the 1980s never to be
seen again in a professional game.
(8/15/10)
