Joba Rules

The talk at Spring Training mostly has surrounded around steroids these days. Andy Pettitte reported on Monday and held a one-hour press conference to discuss his use of HGH and Alex Rodriguez showed up on Wednesday and he was asked questions right away (remember, Jose Canseco and John Rocker both have accused A-Rod of using performance enhancing drugs). I am here to change the discussion to something much more positive and much more important. What to do with the amazing Joba Chamberlain? The Yankees have been saying all off-season that he was preparing to be in the starting rotation but just last week a New York newspaper cited a team source as saying Joba would begin the year in the bullpen and later move into the rotation. The Yankees then said, again, he was going to prepare all spring to be a starter and they would make their decision closer to the beginning of the season. This is a decision that could be the key to whether the Yankees make the playoffs or not and it is a very difficult decision to make.

Joba came to the Yankees from the minor leagues in early August and never have I seen a player become a fan favorite so fast. Within weeks people were wearing “Joba Rules” tee shirts and Chamberlain jerseys. It was well-deserved praise for the set-up man with a 0.38 era in his first two big league months. Joba was dominant in his role for the Yankees down the stretch and was as important as any player in their success of making the playoffs. He was able to go one or two innings and take the load off of Mariano Rivera. He also lessened the stress for Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizciano and Ron Villone. With his high 90’s fastball and devastating slider Joba, definitely did rule. If he is back in the bullpen this season there is no reason not to believe he won’t do more of the same, his stuff is that nasty. Being in the bullpen this season would also keep his innings down for the future because the Yankees do say, no matter what, one day he will be a starter. And having Joba as the guy handing the ball to Mo makes the Yankees bullpen a strength of the team. This move is safe because the Yankees know what he can do as a reliever but is it the best move for the team, this year or in the future?

Joba Chamberlain has always been a starting pitcher. He has always had the luxury of knowing when he was going to be pitching. He thrived in that role last year in the minors, before the Yankees moved him to the bullpen. Chamberlain projects (from Keith Law of ESPN) to have four above average pitches. He has his great fastball and slider, both of which baseball fans have seen. He also posses a big curveball that he uses mainly to keep hitters off balance and continues to work on his change-up, which is an average pitch as of right now. Putting Joba in the rotation gives you a much better rotation and you don’t have to rely so much on Mike Mussina (who knows what he has left) and Ian Kennedy (who scouts only project to be a number three starter down the road). Using Joba as a starter gives you a nasty 1-2-3 punch of Wang-Pettitte-Chamberlain. It also puts him back to the position he is most used too, starting games. In the rotation you would get around 150 innings from Joba instead of just 60 or 70 if you use him out of the bullpen. Isn’t it better to have your best pitchers throw as many innings as possible? The other argument is that without a quality start there may be no need for the bullpen because you may be losing. Isn’t the bullpen irrelevant if the starter can’t pitch well enough to have a lead in the 5th or 6th inning? As of now the Yankees rotation looks to be very inconsistent and adding Joba too the mix would definitely make them better. I understand a good bullpen is key to a team but how many teams have found lightening in a bottle over the past five years and lucked into a great set-up man. Remember, Hideki Okajima was brought over more to help Dice-K’s move to America and he ended being one of the best set-up men in the game. Also, if the bullpen isn’t working through half of the year, the Yankees have great arms in the minors that they could convert into relievers, much like they did with Joba last season. Humberto Sanchez anyone?

It is a very touchy subject and it seems to me the Yankees are scared about making the wrong choice. If they make Joba a starter and he struggles in his first year people will be complaining that they should have left him in the bullpen, where we know he can succeed. And if they use him as a reliever and the rotation has problems you will be hearing those same people talking about how if Joba was the three starter the problems wouldn’t be there. In the end, it comes down to one thing, who is more important, a number three starter who could be your number one by the time the season is over, or a dominant set-up man who pitches one or two innings every time out. To me it is simple, without a good start your bullpen is useless and the Yankees don’t have the luxury to mess around, they need their rotation to be the best it can be. The offense can only get you so far. If a few games are blown this year in the 7th or 8th inning because Joba wasn’t back there to pitch just think about all the games he starts and the 12-15 games he wins, at least, this year. Joba Chamberlain is more valuable in the starting rotation for the 2008 New York Yankees. Maybe next year they sign CC Sabathia, Pettitte comes back, Wang continues to be great and Phil Hughes proves to be the stud people think he will be, then it is time to think about moving Joba into the set-up role but for now, he should be a starter. When you think about it, this is a good problem to have because wherever the Yankees use him, there is no denying, Joba will rule.