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At 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday night, Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain will take a big league mound for the first time as a starter. Whether he succeeds or fails at his new job may very well determine the fate of the Yankees’ season and Brian Cashman’s future with the club. Taking a dominant setup guy out of the back of the bullpen and putting him into the rotation is not a popular decision in some circles, but it is the right one for three reasons.
First, having a true ace at the front of your staff is a huge advantage in the playoffs. An ace can set the tone in a series and prove the difference between winning and losing. Do the Marlins of 2003 and the Red Sox of 2007 win the World Series without Josh Beckett? Probably not, and while Joba has a long way to go before he compares to Beckett, scouts says he has the pitches and temperament to become an ace. You don’t waste that type of talent in the bullpen.
Math is another reason to move Joba. Working out of the bullpen, the Yankees can expect to get somewhere between 80-100 innings out of Chamberlain in a season. Move him to the rotation and you can double that number. The more innings that Joba records, the less the Yankees have to rely on players like Farnsworth to help them.
Finally, the Yankees should make this move because their closer situation is settled for the immediate future. Mariano Rivera signed a three-year deal in the offseason and he has been his dominant self in 2008. Rivera’s success will not continue indefinitely, but the Yankees have time and a number of prospects in the minors who could eventually fill his shoes. Think back to last June 1st, how many Yankees’ fans had even heard of Joba? It could be J.B. Cox, it could be Mark Melancon, but the Yankees will find someone to replace Joba in the bullpen a lot easier than finding someone to head their rotation for the next ten years.
"Making the Call" is a new opinion post that will cover sports topics.
Photo of Joba Chamberlain pitching on May 21st by AP/Kathy Willens
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I'm a huge yankee fan and joba fan. I hope this move is for the best, but there are a number of good points for this being a bad idea. I'll be at the stadium on Tuesday excited to see history happen.
For example, the math issue this post raises as a "good thing" actually isn't. Joba is being capped at 140-150 innings this year to try to avoid injury. That's why he was in the bullpen, to limit his innings but keep him in a useful role. He won't get to double the number of innings as a starter because he will be pulled out for the remainder of 2008. Which could pose to be a huge problem if they make the playoffs. Then if they decide to break THAT rule and let him pitch through the playoffs, it could put him down a slippery slope of injuries and lost potential.
I agree that you can't waste talent like that on an 8th inning guy, but he wasn't going to do that for the rest of his career. Making such a drastic change to your roster and the roles your players fill mid-year can be dangerous and potentially bury the team.
I am not a Yankee fan but it's sad that they have already given up on Hughee, Kennedy, and the Yankee Clippard. What the hell is wrong with a rebuilding or transitional season?
I won't be surprise if Cashman and H. Steinbrenner trade away Joba for a 1/2 season contract with Clemens.
Do we get the day off?
Seriously -- Steve Carlton once had 38 (thirty-eight) complete games in one season, and Seaver and Marichal once hook...ah, competed against each other in a 13-inning classic. I suppose that'll never happen again.
www.forgotten-ny.com
I think the success of this move will be determined by one thing - how Joba actually does. If he fails, it was a huge mistake. And if he fails, everything is rosy.
Dumb move. You go from the potential of a lights out combo of Joba and Rivera each night to what Farnsworth and Joba every 5 days?
Clippard was traded in the offseason.