Listening to Mike Francesa for the past couple days he has been talking about how he feels Joba Chamberlain should be put back in the bullpen (and also that the Yanks won't do it). I have felt this way all year. I am definitely one who goes along with the belief that a dominant starting pitcher is more valuable to a team than a dominant reliever. It is self-evident that the player tossing more innings at a high-level is more important than the one tossing fewer innings. The problem is, Joba is a very average starting pitcher, and he is hurting the Yankees bullpen two-fold.
How is he hurting the bullpen in two ways? A) The Yankees obviously lose a dominant relief pitcher (Joba, one they have proven all year cannot be replaced by Veras, Bruney, Ramirez and all the others they have tried). B) He not only is an average starter - but he never goes deep in games therefore further taxing an already weakened bullpen.
Joba right now is fortunate to have a 4.00 ERA. His WHIP is near 1.60. While he is striking out nearly a batter per inning (thanks to his 12-K performance against Boston), he has allowed 25 walks and 6 HRs in just 45 innings. 9 starts. 45 IP. 6 no-decisions. His velocity is way down. This is the same guy who as a rookie gave up 1 run in his first 24 IP with 34 Ks to 6 BBs. Last year (mainly in the bullpen, with a few starts) he surrendered just 5 homers in 100 IP while striking out 118, while walking under 40 batters.
If Wang shows that he is at-all healthy and Hughes continues to progress, there is no reason to think those two can't pitch as well as Joba has as a starter (1.60 WHIP) and possibly better. On top of this all is the fact that Mariano Rivera is clearly nearing the end. The Yankees have been blessed with a rare power arm like Joba who could possibly step right in and be a top-notch closer right away (he won't be Mo of course, but no one is)...it makes far too much sense not to do, which is probably why the Yanks won't do it.
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couldn't have said it better myself mulldog. He desperately needs to develop another pitch before becoming a top notch starter. Now he throws a fastball at 92 instead of 96 so he has some left in the tank. this immediately makes his fastball less effective so hitters lay off the slider and sit fastball. coaching adjustment needs to be made.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all the way the yanks are winnin ballgames, they need no pen. 11-1, 9-3 victories make it easy for Phil Coke and Aceves to go out there in the 7th 8th and 9th and look like studs. To make a fair unbiased baseball comment for once, IMO Joba only goes back to the pen to close. He needs to get out there for 3 or 4 outs and throw straight ched. We all saw how effective he can be goin all out for an inning. In any other role he's almost useless. As a starter hes got 2 and a half pitches and is mediocre at best. Settin up for that bag of dust you call Mo, Joba's 97-99 makes Rivera's 91-92 mph fastball look like a beachball. Let the man close.
ReplyDeleteYanks are red hot..who needs a fifth starter when you have C.C, Burnett, Pettitte, and Hughes on the mound...I'd go 4-1 for every 5 games...Yanks are gonna be tough once A Rod starts swinging a hot stick...Sure he's batting .260 but the rest of the team is heating up since his return
ReplyDeleteTuz - that bag of dust has 24 K's and 1 BB in 19.2 IP. He's coming off the second best year of his career (and you could argue it as his best...statistically probably was his best, though he was at his most un-hittable in '96) and while everyone is making a big deal about the 5 home runs, no one is talking about how he has only given up 6 runs. A 2.75 ERA and a WHIP barely over 1.00 is very strong...if your point about his ball looking like a beach-ball after Joba sets up was true I think we would have seen him struggle last year. Thing is, he throws that cutter which is completely opposite of Joba. Beyond that the old theory that the set-up man somehow can't throw harder than the closer is bogus to me - there is no statistical evidence backing it and the bottom line is your closer almost always faces completely different hitters as your 8th inning guy.
ReplyDeleteIf Joba moved to the pen the Yanks would arguably be as strong as the Sox pen and I think you of all people know how valuable that can be. True that with how the Yanks are playing now it hasn't mattered, but when they come back down to Earth and start playing close games it will.
I can't remember any single player getting as much hype as Joba for not really accomplishing anything. He has such painfully average numbers that I am not even sure why he is a topic of debate. That being said, put him in the pen. Mo can only walk on water for so long.
ReplyDeleteNot much for me to add here being a NL guy, but I would agree he should be in the bullpen. At the end of the season these two teams (Sox and Yanks) slug it out every game and it ends up coming down to the bullpens anyway. Why not have him in there throwing 96 instead of those other no name garbage relievers.
ReplyDeleteWell said, he belongs where he started in the pen. Hell I'm a Sox fan and I know he belongs in the pen. You would turn a 9 inning game into 7 or even 6 if you have him and Mo pitch more than an inning each. That is a much greater advantage than having him pitch 6 innings and suck. Get him a motorized cart, stick him next to his dad until the the 7th and go get him to extend the bridge to Mo. There wouldn't any better set-up, closer tandem in baseball.
ReplyDeletePretty brutal hacks at a man barred to a life in a wheelchair from a disease like polio. I think Ortiz is the bottom of the barrell in fenway's faithfuls but you won't see me poke fun at his mother dying in a horrific car accident...well stated in the 9 innings turning to 7 but lets try and remain tasteful while we prove our points shall we.
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