When you watch Joba Chamberlain enter a game with the tying run already on base, it makes you understand how foolish it would be to convert him to a starter this year.
Six pitches. Five swings. Five misses.
A runner dances off third base, the count on Joe Crede swollen to full. The crowd rises, knowing full well that this is the game. Never mind that 13 outs have to be made before the game is in the books.
Ball four tails inside, walking in a run. The lead is cut to two runs. Perhaps the inevitable pressure has finally found a chink in the armor of the young Nebraskan.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi is at a crossroads in only his 21st game. The future of the Yankees’ starting rotation has underperformed. His offensive minded team has struggled to score runs. Injuries have kept five perennial All-Stars from finding their rhythm in the young season. And now the voice from above has decreed that Chamberlain is a waste as a setup man.
The onus is on Girardi to produce yet another AL East title. To any other collection of fans, it would be acceptable (if disappointing) to miss the playoffs in a year like this. Prospects Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes could use the time to develop into a formidable pitching duo. Also, the expiration of a number of astronomical contracts would give the Yankees the leeway to make a major free agent signing in the off-season.
But this is New York.
Twenty-one games in, and the Yankees already trail the Red Sox by 4 games in the standings. Boston has won 10 of 11, threatening to jump out to the same kind of lead that last year resulted in their first division crown in a dozen years.
Girardi is bound to face challenges in the next five months. But thus far, when his guys are leading after 7 innings, the challenge subsides. Chamberlain and closer Mariano Rivera have yielded just one run over 15.1 innings, all but one in Yankees victories. Last April, Rivera had no Joba, and only one save. The difference is clear. Joba as a setup man is as integral to winning games as Rivera, the bats, and that days’ starter.
Chamberlain finishes his duties by allowing a single and three lazy fly balls in the eighth. It helps that Johnny Damon boosted the lead to 5 with a three-run home run, effectively draining all drama, and most of the crowd from the stadium. Joba’s dominance is not nearly as impressive in such an arena (although maligned reliever Kyle Farnsworth reminds us all what could be in a shaky ninth).
In the first game since Hank Steinbrenner called for a change in Chamberlain’s role, Joba came to the rescue. He got Billy Traber and Brian Bruney off the hook in a game that was tight throughout. Joba is built for big moments, thriving on the electricity that tends to fill stadiums in the late innings of close games. Like future Hall-of-Famer Mariano Rivera, Joba brings an air of confidence to his appearances, a calming presence for the habitually high-strung Yankee fan.
Joba Chamberlain is only 22 years old, and will most likely be an excellent pitcher in this league, be it as a starter or a closer. He has certainly shown to have the mentality to handle high-pressure situations. For 2008, he belongs in the bullpen. If the Yankees have any chance to make a run at the Red Sox this year, it is imperative that Mariano Rivera has an opportunity to save games. The clearest road to that is on the Joba Express.
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5 months ago
I could not agree more with the fact that Joba needs to stay in the bullpen. I love the title because it is obvious that he needs to be in the bullpen for 2 obvious reasons.
1- The Yankees have no one to replace him as set-up man. Bruney or Olendorf may turn into a
quality set-up guy, but for now there is no viable option to replace Joba.
2- Are the Yankees really going to be able to go 1 month without Joba on the major league roster?
If Joba has to go down and stretch his arm out to start, it is going to take him a minimum of 5
starts, or 25 days. There is no way that the Yankees can go 1 month with Farnsworth and
Hawkins setting up Rivera and expect to catch the Red Sox.
from 5 months ago
I don't see Bruney ever being a quality set-up guy, and don't forget that if you convert Joba, you convert him for the season, not just one month. What makes Mariano great is that even when batters know whats coming, they still can't hit him. We have yet to see if Joba will be able to do that in the future, but until he shows that he is that good, I don't want batters getting more than one crack at him in any given game. I hope he keeps thinking he's invincible, along with the rest of the league.
5 months ago
when i hear of a player with an electric fastball and a eagle claw of a slider who was rushed along into the rotation i immediately think of fransico liriano and we all know what happened to him... what the yankees need is a huge anchor in the ending innings to shut the door just like the redsox have with oki and pap. and what the angles had with shields and k-rod. by all means im a redsox fan and i would love for chamberlan to blowout his arm so i can rest easy when the game goes to the yanks pen without him. but, i also would love to see this kid be able to use his gift for the next 10-15 year and that gift is to be the next great closer in baseball and the next great yankee closer in a long line of greats.
-the sox fan
from 5 months ago
david, you couldn't call yourself a red sox fan if you didn't hope for career threatening injuries, and i salute you for that. i had the conversation with a buddy of mine a few days ago, and i used the same example to explain why young pitchers need to build up to a high innings count--especially when they have thunderbolts for arms.
that said, I see chamberlain as a starter in the future because he has 3 plus pitches, one of which he doenst even use in his current role. but the month off is what would kill the yanks, combined with the lack of another good 8th inning arm. i love the fact that i can change the channel and rest easy when we got the lead after 7 innings.
from 5 months ago
i love a good game and when u have a tight game between the sox and the yanks and then u have the the two teams anchors coming out of the pen' with "wild thing" and "enter sandman" on and its still tied b/c of great setup guys that spells extra innings sox yanks style and everybody knows that there is nothing better then a late inning game between these two teams
5 months ago
I certainly agree with the meat of this article. As long as the Yanks are in the AL East race this year, he needs to set-up Mo. Still, you have to wonder what route the Yanks should take if they are effectively out of the race in late July/early August time period? It is very possible that they will be, when considering the depth of the Sox and Jays. If they are, you can start him for the rest of the season and keep his innings limit in check relative to last year (110 IP)-- whether it be at Scranton or at the major league level.
I wrote a similar article:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/18313-The-Joba-Chamberlain-Question-170408
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