Some Thoughts on Joba

Just some quick thoughts about Joba Chamberlain’s potential position in the Yankees organization. He can either be a relief pitcher next year or a starter. Hank Steinbrenner has already stated that Joba would go into spring training as a starting pitcher because that was and is his intended role with the club. However, since then, many Yankees fans have wondered what Joba’s role will actually be, and have worried that he will be in the bullpen when the 2008 season comes around.

They worry, obviously, due to Joba’s abilities, because he is such a talented pitcher that can dominate as a starter (future ace?). They don’t want the Yankees to let him rot away in the bullpen where he would do tremendously well, since his value has always been towards starting and showing off that fastball through a full 9 innings. And, of course, there are also plenty of points that support the “Joba in the pen” concept : 1) the team have a surplus of starters 2) he’ll have an innings cap (one that’s lower than Ian Kennedy’s cap) so what better way to save his arm then to leave him in the pen 3) they don’t have a surefire bridge to Mariano in the bullpen 4) he’s already thrived there and Rivera isn’t getting any younger. So, the worrying is warranted to a degree.

However, we must also remember that Yankees officials have already declared Joba will go into camp as a starter and they know his potential is brightest as the ace of a pitching staff. I believe the Yankees will stick to their word and keep Joba in the rotation, barring some unforeseen setback. Even if they do decide to move Joba to the pen, for the beginning of the season, he can always pitch as a starter later on, especially if another reliever demonstrates his ability to get guys out (he can then be the new set-up man after Joba). Therefore, Joba in the pen will not be a permanent thing, at all. One can worry about Joba’s development if kept in the pen too long, which is a legitimate concern, but I doubt he’ll be in the bullpen long enough to actually stifle the advancement of his pitching repertoire. Even if (here we go again), he’s in the pen for 2008, in 2009 he’s pretty much guaranteed a rotation spot (with the loss of either Andy or Moose).

So, let’s stop worrying so much about Joba Chamberlain. I know an unsourced report about keeping Joba in the pen, from Buster Olney (props to RAB for this one), was the starting point for many of our more recent concerns. But, Olney’s report didn’t really have any substance to it at all. Then a couple of contradicting reports (here and here) from Kat O’Brien (RAB), about Joba as a starter and reliever also caused quite a stir. What we thought we once knew has definitely been called into question because of these rather vague and back-and-forth reports.

Here’s what we do know. It’s impossible to come to an absolute conclusion about Joba’s position, especially since it is dependent upon the actions of so many players in spring training (e.g. Hughes, Mussina, Kennedy, Hawkins, other relievers, Joba himself, etc.). Joba will be helping the Yankees in 2008, either as a starter (I think this is most likely) or as a reliever (I think this is somewhat likely) and that’s all that really matters at this point in time. If the Yankees are thinking about keeping Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen in 2009, then we can really start to worry.