I’m not sure what exactly it is with the brains of sports writers that has absoluetly convinced them that Joba Chamberlain needs to be in the bullpen but it won’t die and it bothers me a lot. Here’s today’s take on it, Kevin Kernan of the NY Post:
Now that Andy Pettitte is signed, sealed and finally delivered, it’s time the Yankees throw a high, hard one at the opposition. Forget about Joba Chamberlain being in the rotation – he needs to go back to the bullpen. From Day 1 of spring training. No ifs, ands or bugs.
What? Why? Joba is a much better pitcher than Andy ever was (except for maybe 2005 but that year didn’t really happen as far as I’m concerned) so why would they push Joba out of the rotation because some insurance to eat innings has been signed?
This is a complete reversal for me. Last season, I was adamant that Chamberlain should be in the starting rotation, because that was where he was needed most. That was before CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett signed with the Yankees, and that was when Chien-Ming Wang was injured.
That’s still only four starters counting Pettitte’s signing so where is this going…?
With a top three of Sabathia, Burnett and Wang, and with Pettitte on the back end, Joba is most needed in the bullpen now, especially since Mariano Rivera is coming off shoulder surgery.
The thing that irks me the absolute most about an argument like this is that the Yankees have a really good bullpen and lots of other arms that can be slotted in if necessary. It’s a complete blindness to something that really was the Yankees strength next year. If Mariano Rivera can’t pitch the first two weeks of the season, the team will survive with some combination of Damaso Marte and company filling in. It’s not the end of the world. Maybe they bring up Mark Melancon earlier than they expected to. Who knows, there’s a lot that can be done, it’s not a crisis!
This way the Yankees can keep Joba’s innings under control, and if Rivera needs a little extra time to be ready for the season, Chamberlain can be the emergency closer. If Rivera is right for the start of the season, then Chamberlain has the eighth inning and the Yankees are that much more of a force.
First off, this completely misunderstands the thinking behind keeping Joba’s innings under control. He has an innings ceiling because of his age and the impact that suddenly having him pitch a ton more than he has in the past would probably be very bad. To raise the ceiling of a pitcher going forward the pitcher in question has to hit his limit for the year. Putting Joba in the bullpen doesn’t help out with this matter, it sets him back considerably since he didn’t hit his limit last year.
Additionally, my hatred for Damaso Marte is strictly personal and not grounded in any baseball matters. He is a very good pitcher with very good stuff, although I really do hate his walk rate. He will be fine, he is far superior to Farnsworth, Joba doesn’t need to take his job.
An eighth-inning dynamo is much more important to the Yankees now than a back-end starter, and besides, the Yankees have candidates for that fifth spot, including Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves.
1) No, it’s not, given the depth of the Yankees current bullpen and potential bullpen (Melancon, Humberto Sanchez, etc).
2) Phil Hughes needs some time in AAA to prove that he can stay healthy and to get his changeup, cutter and two-seamer down in a way he hasn’t yet. He’s so young there’s no need to toss him into the fire again.
3) Alfredo Aceves is the new Ian Kennedy, except older and with a slightly different pitch repretroire. He’s not going to come in, be the fifth starter and save the world. I like him and I think Kennedy is not awful either, but why would you use either when you’ve got a clearly superior option?
Joba as the fifth starter is pretty ideal as it means they can skip his starts from time to time to maximize his spot in the rotation.
There are some people in the Yankee front office who are convinced Chamberlain is best-suited for the bullpen anyway because of his emotional makeup and arm. Many scouts I’ve talked to say the same thing. In some ways, Chamberlain is like Jonathan Papelbon in makeup and talent. He lives for the competition every night.
Chamberlain is so much more talented than Papelbon it’s ridiculous, this argument is so stupid it makes my brain hurt. If he can’t hack it as a starter because of injuries c’est la vie but the reason Papelbon is in the bullpen is because of the dramatic decline in fastball speed as he went on through a game. Additionally Chamberlain has two–two!!!–excellent secondary pitches and a developing changeup that should be good as well. This is not talent you just throw into the bullpen because oh my god he pumps his fist and goes “YEAAAHH!!!” when striking someone out.
When you are a starter, you have four days to kill between starts. When you are in the bullpen, you have to be ready to go every game.
This is dumb, not even an argument that makes sense.
This way Chamberlain can basically be a two-pitch pitcher, slider and fastball. He can mix in the curve, but he does not have to depend upon it as much as a starter, who needs three pitches to work the lineup, and this would mean less stress on his shoulder.
The shoulder stress thing is stupid and not grounded in reality. Secondary pitches are secondary pitches, sliders can be bad for your arm too. Ask Francisco Liriano. I’m not even sure what the argument here is–Joba shouldn’t throw his really good pitch because we are not 100% sure that he can stay healthy. Well then they’d better yank AJ Burnett out of the rotation now and only let him throw his fastball if this is the path we’re going down.
Chamberlain can just roll out of the bullpen and be that Raging Bull that Yankee fans have come to love. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow, and when you step back and look at the situation now, Chamberlain looks great in the bullpen.
The Joba Chamberlain that I love is the one who went into Fenway, and mowed down the Red Sox for 8 innings. When I step back and look at the situation now, Chamberlain looks great in the rotation.
When I asked Brian Cashman about the situation yesterday, he said, “It’s not something on our radar. Our plan is that Joba’s still a member of this rotation, and that’s how he’s prepared this winter and that’s how he was told to prepare and that what he’s excited to do.”
And that’s why Cashman is the GM and Kernan is the guy writing columns for the Post.
