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February 12, 2008
Sherman: Joba Will Be In The Pen
Via Joel Sherman -
Joba Chamberlain will prepare during spring training as a starter, but will begin the season in the Yankee bullpen barring injury to any of the other five main rotation members, team officials confirmed to The Post.
The Yanks also want to use April and May as an audition for his successor. The idea would be to have a slate of young relievers work in the less pressurized sixth and seventh innings. The organizational hope is that someone from a group that could include Alan Horne, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and Ross Ohlendorf emerges in reliability and can graduate to the eighth-inning role when Chamberlain is transitioned back to the rotation.
At some point in June, the Yanks would send Chamberlain to the minors for 3-4 weeks to stretch him out to 5-6 innings in preparation to be a full-time starter in the second half.
And Chamberlain must be physically and mentally able to handle a unique proposition in which he will be asked to throw approximately 30-40 relief innings, be shuttled to the minors and then promoted to start for about another 90 or so innings.
The one question here: Which starter gets "yanked" from the rotation in July when Joba makes the switch? It won't be Pettitte or Wang. And, if Hughes and Kennedy are doing fine, it won't be them. Mussina? Maybe, but, that won't be a pretty scene.
Plus, if the Yankees are in a dog-fight in June, would they really then take Joba out of the pen and send him to the minors for 3-to-4 weeks?
The money here says Joba starts the year in the pen and stays there all season.
Posted by WW Staff at February 12, 2008 09:02 AM
Comments
I think this is a terrible idea. I understand they need to limit his innings but I feel like they are doing this completely backwards. Why don't they start him in the rotation and then move him to the pen at a certain innings threshold? That way we wouldn't lose him at all because the transition from starter to reliever wouldn't require the 3-4 week buildup period. It just seems so backwards to me.
Posted by: Jaggie ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 12, 2008 09:32 AM
They start him in the pen and if some of the other guys do show promise they stretch him out in june, but in the majors. Throwing longer relief appearances, maybe piggybacking on Hughes starts to help limit his innings. Then, maybe even goto a 6 man rotation to limit the innings on Joba, Hughes, Kennedy and Mussina. Even piggybacking them occasionally for a full game.
Of course this assumes everyone is healthy and performing well.
Posted by: dave at February 12, 2008 09:39 AM
They want him to be a starter for the playoffs. You know, where "#1 guys" really make a huge difference.
WW Staff, they will not leave him in the bullpen all year, no matter what. If they do that his future as a starter is essentially over. The Yankees are not that stupid.
Posted by: keithny at February 12, 2008 09:50 AM
One problem with starting Joba off in the 8th inning role is that too many fans, who lack foresight, will also want Joba to remain in the pen all season. I agree with keithny that the Yankees are too smart to do that.
Posted by: Rich at February 12, 2008 12:21 PM
Will 3-4 weeks in the minors give Joba a chance to get enough of a feel for his secondary pitches if he presumably wouldn't be using them in such a limited role as the 8th inning guy?
Will the team be able to wean themselves off the concept of Joba being an 8th inning revelation when, most likely, no one from the current cast will be as good at the specialized role as Joba is?
This strategy seems half-baked to me. Why aren't they just giving him the Johan Santana 2002/2003 role where he gets 3-5 innings scheduled every week or so, plus an inning here and there when he needs it? It would let him work on his pitches at the big league level and it wouldn't expose the team to the opportunity cost of a replacement player who would take Joba's spot on the 25 man roster for that month when Joba's in the minors...
Posted by: MJ at February 12, 2008 02:06 PM
Yeah, I agree with you guys. There was a more creative solution here and this certainly isn't it. The worst part of it is the idea of going to the minors for a month.
I hope Sherman has his facts wrong, but this seems like a pretty dumb idea.
Posted by: baileywalk at February 12, 2008 02:29 PM
I guess it is the time of the year for fretting, and there's almost nowhere on the Web where fretting is a bigger pastime, but this is such a non-story as to be ridiculous.
If ANY of Wang, Pettitte, Moose, Hughes or Kennedy is delayed coming out of Tampa this spring (hamstring pull, anyone?), the Joba will be in the starting rotation. Immediately. Our starting 5 have six weeks of ST to get through before we even think about whether Joba breaks camp as a starter or a reliever.
Let's not feed this media-driven hysteria anymore.
Posted by: yankees76 at February 13, 2008 02:22 AM