With the new and improved Joba Rules now in place, the Yankees have a plan to keep Joba Chamberlain on regular rest while limiting his innings. Let’s look at the remainder of his scheduled starts and try to determine what that plan might be.
It seems evident that Joba’s limit is somewhere around 160 innings, and is currently at 133.2, leaving him with 27 innings for the regular season. This is how I would like his remaining starts to go:
September 4th at Toronto: 3 IP
September 9th vs Tampa: 3 IP
September 15th vs Toronto: 4 IP or 60 pitches, whichever comes first.
September 21st at LA: 5 IP or 75 pitches
September 27th vs Boston: 6 IP or 90 pitches
October 3rd at Tampa: 6 IP or 100+ pitches
This plan would allow Joba to build back towards full strength as the playoffs near, while keeping him in the rhythm that most pitchers find necessary to success. I think that this is the best way for the Yankees to meet all of their needs as well as protect their investment in Chamberlain. Would you plan differently?
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7 Responses to Planning Joba's Remaining Starts
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TIQ IQ
I would have just let him go 5 in every start since the break and the last few let him go until he reached the 100 pitch mark… Anything involving 3 innings isn’t building up a starting pitcher, you are making another Aceves at that point, just one who starts in stead of comes into big situations. By that list you are telling Joba he doesn’t even have a chance to record a win for the next 3 starts and for the last 3 he has to suddenly go deeper into the gamer than he has been in weeks against 3 of the best offenses in the league. I’m sorry but these rules aren’t preparing him to start at all.
This is how every starter in history has been prepared to start in spring training. That is all that they are doing- have him do some shorter starts, and then ramp up to 100 pitches. I don’t see the problem.
IN SPRING TRAINING not the playoffs and if you don’t remember Joba had a terrible ERA in spring training and struggled pretty good coming out of spring training as well only this time it will be during the playoffs when we need him strong.
His ERA in spring training over those few innings does not really prove anything. They are building him up as you would with any starter, during a period that is like spring training for them as they figure out who they can use in October. If he stinks all the way through to October, they may have a problem.
I just think you are asking a lot of someone if you tell someone to go out and pitch in the regular season right before the playoffs in games where you have no chance og getting a win or even really effecting the game in a positive way (if you hold the other team scoreless it’s just 3 innings) and then the playoffs get here and he is suppose to turn it on and be the most dominate pitcher ever… he will struggle with this like he has struggled with stuff like this in the past! One thing I have noticed about Joba is if he is unhappy about something he doesn’t pitch well and he isn’t happy about pitching 35 pitches and 3 innings and being done.
If they actually have a plan, I would have to imagine that it would be very similar to this. I like it. It has him ready to go 7 in the playoffs if needed.
Good call, Mo. Michael Kay had almost the exact same plan on his radio show, and I always assume that he gets good info that’s off the record. He had the Torre contract (which he presented as an original idea of his) 2 days before anyone else. He presented the Joba Plan in a similar fashion today.