Hey Yankee Fans, Quit Complaining About Joba Starting!

I live in NYC. It is a place where sports are taken very seriously. New York has some of the best fans in the world because they're passionate and some of them are even knowledgeable. I am a young sports fan, not even 20 yet, but baseball has always been my sport. I grew up during the latest Yankees Dynasty. Everyone remembers the 1996 team and the ones who followed leading to 4 World Series Titles in 5 years. When Yankee fans look at how to fix the 2009 team (which is a 1/2 game out of 1st place), they see the bullpen as an area for concern. Well the bullpen is pretty shaky, and those passionate New Yorkers want to see their hero Joba Chamberlain return to the bullpen. NO!!!

Look around baseball and you will see that it is hard to find a true ace. Remember just last year, the Phillies had one really good starter (Cole Hamels) and every series he was guaranteed to win them two games. It is ridiculous to even to suggest moving Joba to the bullpen. Look at the American League champions and what they're doing with David Price. Look at the LA Dodgers, they have an amazing young lefty in Clayton Kershaw. The Royals are finally benefiting from letting Zack Greinke develop. Imagine if the Yankees let Joba develop? Maybe he could have the success Greinke is having this season. Imagine if the Yankees had a starter with an ERA under 1 because Joba's stuff is just as good as Greinke's.

Maybe that isn't a good enough argument for you. I would love to have an ace to go along with CC Sabathia. It makes no sense to waste another year of this guy's development. He needs to throw about 150-175 innings this year. By throwing him in the bullpen, you'll do two things.

1. You'll waste a potential ace. Through 21 starts, Joba has an ERA of 3.25 (3.97 this year which is second on the team behind Sabathia).

2. You'll risk hurting him. The constant moving back-and-forth will only put strain on his arm because a starter and reliever warm up differently and have a different way of thinking. Joba as a reliever is thinking about throwing the ball as hard as possible and not saving anything in the tank. Joba as a starter is trying to go the distance so he takes a little off.

You want a great starter over a great set up man, trust me. Starting pitching is the key to winning championships. In New York nothing else is accepted.

Great starters are brought along over time and developed. They make mistakes and Joba has made plenty. He needs to learn how to pitch deeper into the game. Joba will learn just like all the top aces in the game today have. By giving this guy some time, you will be happy down the road. Just let Joba start like he's done his whole life.