Joba Chamberlain's Lack of Results Directly Tied to Lack of Emotion

(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

This is my first post for Bronx Baseball Daily, and what better topic to lead off with than Joba Chamberlain, who must own the record for most words written about a pitcher with a 94 ERA+.

I think everyone knows the story by now: Joba was the hottest pitcher after the All-Star Break, and there was a time you could make a serious case for him being the Yankees’ No. 2 starter. A few mediocre starts later, followed by the implementation of two sets of new “Joba Rules,” and now Joba looks pretty terrible.

So what’s wrong? A pitcher with Joba’s ability should not have a slump like this.

I can’t help but notice, however, that Joba’s entire demeanor changed once he started scaling back his starts. It’s like he’s throwing a bullpen session, and even his comments after his starts seem to support that. Results don’t interest Joba these days; instead all of his focus is on the individual pitches he worked on.

Consider some of his comments after his last start (via Pete Abe):

My delivery was great,” he said. “I threw some great changeups. My slider velocity was great. My fastball velocity was more consistent.”

That sounds like a guy who’s just out to get his work in. If you consider the way he acts while pitching as well—a weird lack of emotion—you have to wonder if at some point Joba was told to not just scale back his innings but to scale back the wear and tear of those innings.

Now, I’m not suggesting that Joba is out trying to lose. But with the Yankees’ sizable lead, they can afford to run Joba out there for three innings and have him give up a couple runs. They’ve managed to win a good number of these starts after all.

Now, all that said, I think Joba’s last start was particularly disappointing, as it seems like Joe Girardi is ready to take the training wheels back off, but Joba isn’t responding. Can Joba turn it back on again? Clearly, Girardi thinks he will, going so far as to suggest Joba is still the fourth starter for the postseason.

I’ll feel better, though, when I see the emotion in Joba again; I want the guy who looks upset when he gives up a hit and pulls out the old fist pump after a big strikeout.

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