Hughes has had star-studded mentoring

At age 24, Phil Hughes is a 16-game winner in his first full season as a starter. Since his first spring training with the Yankees as a 19-year-old in 2006, Hughes has honed his craft with the help of five of the best pitchers of their eras: Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera.

Earlier this week, Newsday asked Hughes to complete a small homework assignment: Think about what specifically he has learned from those former and current Yankees teammates and come back the next day and tell us. He agreed.

Here's what he had to say:

Mariano Rivera

THE CLOSER

Teammate: 2007 - PRESENT

Hughes spent the last half of 2009 in the Yankees bullpen, where he picked up more than just mental tips from Rivera, who turned one pitch - the cutter - into a Hall of Fame-worthy weapon. "He helped me with my cutter grip. That's not something that's beneath him. He isn't a bad guy to take a cutter from. It was a great experience for me. It's been a great pitch for me. I throw it a lot behind in the count. This has been my first time throwing it full-time as a starter. It's been a big pitch for me and just one more little thing that I picked up from those guys."

Andy Pettitte

THE FIXER

Teammate: 2007-PRESENT

"Whenever I have a bad outing, Andy's usually the guy I go to first because he's got such an eye for seeing things that look off. I came into the clubhouse . I just said, 'What do you got?' He was like, 'Really? You want me to tell you?' Just having a guy like that, he's seen so many guys and really pays attention to everybody. He's on the DL right now. He could easily just go and get his treatment and not care about the games. But he really watches. It's just awesome to have somebody like that who is honest, but at the same time the criticism is always constructive."

Mike Mussina

THE MAGICIAN

Teammate: 2007-08

In spring training 2008, Mussina asked to have young pitchers Hughes and Ian Kennedy locker next to him. Asked what they talked about, Hughes said: "Everything. He was always talking about his land in Pennsylvania or his tractors or whatever else. He always liked to have conversations. He was great. I learned my curveball grip from him in my first spring training. How to throw a two-seamer . . . Everything. He was almost like a magician. He could throw anything wherever he wanted. It was unbelievable. When he lost his stuff he had that savvy and that ability to just outthink hitters. It really gave me an appreciation of how good he was when he threw hard. I think people kind of forget he was a mid-90s guy."

CC Sabathia

THE LEADER

Teammate: 2009-PRESENT

"He's the leader of this group, for sure. He's a mid- to upper-90s lefthander, slider and changeup. We couldn't be any more opposite of how we pitch. The thing I appreciate about CC is how he keeps everybody so light. He's serious in the games he pitches and other than that he's always relaxed and nothing fazes him. I've actually learned to take a lot of my pregame routine from him. Coming up, when I would make a start I was nervous. I wouldn't talk to anybody. Sat in my locker. Kind of I guess what you'd expect from a pregame ritual. I really feel like it's helped to be relaxed. If I have a conversation with somebody four hours before a game, it's not like it's going to affect me when I'm out there."

Roger Clemens

THE MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

Teammate 2007

"My first spring training, I was scared to death. I didn't want to rub anyone the wrong way, didn't want to ask too many questions. Just kind of fell in line and did what I was supposed to do. I think the biggest thing for me, being a young guy, playing with Moose and Roger and those guys, is you just kind of learn how to carry yourself, how to handle the situations you're put in, especially here. How to be a professional and act like you belong here. In Anaheim, toward the end of '07, Roger took me down to the bullpen and just talked to me for like 20 minutes just about getting comfortable, knowing yourself and all those things. It really goes a long way when you hear it from somebody like that, moreso than a coach or someone along the way. It kind of sticks."

Asked if it was a give-and-take conversation, Hughes said, "It was a lot of take."