From Jon Heyman (SI):
There is growing sentiment around baseball that Joba Chamberlain will be a reliever next year, especially after he looked great in that role in the Division Series.
Until there is “growing sentiment” within the Yankees’ organization that Joba Chamberlain will be a reliever in 2010, I wouldn’t worry. With regards to his role next season, 1 2/3 innings pitched in the ALDS — against the punchless Twins, nonetheless — should not be the deciding factor in the rotation-bullpen debate that we have grown accustomed too since Joba emerged in 2007.
Interestingly, Heyman also offers the following about Brad Lidge in the same text:
It’s amazing how many scouts are declaring Brad Lidge cured after two successful saves in the Division Series. But he relied only on a slider to strike out Troy Tulowitzki to close out Game 4 and end the series.
Just as two successful saves are a meaningless sample size, so are 1 2/3 innings pitched in the ALDS. Until Joba Chamberlain throws a few full seasons as a starter, I don’t think you can simply rule out the role. Test it first and give him the chance to succeed. If he works out, then fine. If he doesn’t then it’s an easy fix (he’ll end up where he started in ’07—in the bullpen). The latter certainly isn’t optimal, though.
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11 Responses to Joba a reliever in 2010?
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I agree what’s the rush to make him a reliever? If he falters after a full two or three years as a starter then you just put him in the pen and nothing changed except maybe his other pitchers are more developed and he is even better in the pen and could actually be a closer, if it does work you could end up with a dominate starter.
Some of these reporters love to stir up the pot and see what happens. There is NO way the Yankees do not let Joba and Phil have a chance to be starters. There is just to much talent there to waste in the BP, we have a few guys that can steep up and work out of the BP.
Yeah but unfortunately we have no one I would trust in the 8th inning…
Aceves doesn’t throw hard enough to put anyone away like Hughes and Robertson walks way to many people to be considered for any role like that yet and Bruney is a never know what your getting thing.
We may have to get a 8th inning guy in a trade or we could sign one of the two closers who will be free agents in Mike Gonzalez or Jose Valverde…
Well apparently The Red Sox are targeting Rich Harden for there rotation, if this is true it only makes me want Harden on the Yankees that much more because with him they have a real dominate rotation… Harden is a guy who will do well for whatever team has him and I would much rather be behind him than having to face him.
Lester
Beckett
Clay
Harden
Dice K
Wakefield
The Red Sox aren’t going to get into a bidding war over Harden so if we offer the soon to be 28 year old a 3 year deal it should get done no problem and he would be the 4th starter on our team and going forward we would have one of the most dominate rotations in the AL.
CC Sabathia
AJ Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Rich Harden
Chamberlain/Hughes
Having Harden allows you to have a 4 man deep rotation and it allows you to start Hughes in the minors so you can carefully monitor his innings and treat him more like David Price so when he does get called up he is ready to go down the stretch unlike Joba this year. In fact if we had a Harden this year Joba could have and would have been sent down to help him with his problems and allow him to have his innings monitored with out pitching only 3 innings a game.
Harden also prevents something like what happened this year when Wang went down and we had no 5th starter for the whole year because you only have one of Hughes and Joba in the majors so the other is ready to be called up along with McAllister, Nova, Kennedy, Gaudin and Mitre.
After next year Pettitte won’t be back and Joba and Hughes should be developed enough to trust in your rotation and with Harden then 29 you still have one of the best rotations.
Sabathia
Burnett
Harden
Chamberlain
Hughes
I would be shocked if Joba was in the bullpen next season.
Well considering the rotation would suck!
Sabathia
Burnett
Pettitte
Hughes
Kennedy
and then a guaranteed starting spot for either Nova, McAllister or Gaudin because Hughes will be on an inning limit.
I’m not worried about 2010 yet. How about Joba for the eighth inning this year though. Hughes struggled a bit late in the season and was borderline awful against the twins with Mo having to bale him out.
That is actually something I could see happening for sure! They will give Hughes another chance to get the butterflies away before they do that but if he continues to not nail down the 8th switch them.
Girardi discussed this recently, too. He won’t hesitate to put Joba in once the 8th inning rolls around. The job is Hughes’ to lose but for now, he has definitely earned his position.
Heyman is a big fan of Joba as a reliever, so its no surprise this article came from him. People like him and Francessa just can’t understand the simple fact that Joba is obviously very good as a reliever, most starting pitchers who throw hard are. (see Hughes, Phil).
However he has wayyyyy more value to the organization as a starting pitcher. He’s always been a starter and he’ll continue to be a starter until he proves he just can’t do it. And half a season worth of struggles and inconsistencies at age 23 (or 24) isn’t going to change the yankee brasses mind yet.