I'm not killing Hughes. I would have traded him in a heartbeat for Santana., however. What gets to me is that I don't look at the minors because they don't interest me. However, when a player makes it to the majors, I watch him. I watch how he bats, how he strides, how he runs the bases, his velocity, etc.
Hughes's velocity did not come as advertised. He's 92-93. So he has an average fastball. Maybe he was hurt, I don't know. He has a big breaking curveball that he can't control that well. If he gains the ability to control it, and can locate his fastball, he'll be decent.
Kennedy? Poor velocity [87-88]. Poor control. Lack of secondary pitches. Now...if he gains 4-5 MPH on his fastball, locates it with pinpoint control, and develops a secondary and tertiary pitch, then yes...he'll be fine. However, you can say that about pretty much any prospect. If he gets better, he'll be good.
Jacko and Cashman believe in the same thing. That getting older will miraculously make these players get better. Control and creation of a secondary and tertiary pitch is possible. Increasing the speed on your fastball generally isn't.