Joba Would be Bullish in the Pen

The topic of where Joba Chamberlain best helps the Yankees, as a starter or reliever, has been one that has been discussed seemingly since the day the burly righty joined the big ballclub in late 2007. The argument of sabermetricians, that the more innings you can get from the dominant righty the better, favor Joba staying in the rotation. While his numbers from last year were very similar as a starter and as a reliever; I believe Chamberlain would best help the Yankees as a relief ace setting up for the great Mariano. His football-like mentality, his effectiveness, and his dominant stuff are best suited to be utilized out of the pen.



Joba also ran into some arm issues at the end of last year due to his conversion from reliever to starter. Some would argue that the torque put on his arm while throwing the curveball as a starter could be the root of his late season rotator cuff issues from a year ago. As a reliever, Joba will not have to rely on using the curve. His explosive fastball and devastating slider will be more than enough to get the job done late in games. Joba will also have the ability to go more than one inning out of the pen at times. This is a luxury that cannot be matched by other relievers at Joe Girardi’s disposal.

Joba coming out of the pen will also open up a chance for Phil Hughes, who still projects as an above average Major League starter to go into spring training and battle it out for the final spot with the promising Alfredo Aceves, and Ian Kennedy, who had a strong showing in the Puerto Rican Winter League this year. If Joba remains in the rotation Hughes will become nothing more than an insurance policy in case a starter goes down during the course of the season. Not a bad insurance policy to have, but Hughes has shown the potential to be so much more than just an insurance policy. Along with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League this offseason, Hughes has committed himself to a stringent workout program to keep himself in shape and hopefully, injury free for the upcoming season.

With Joba in the rotation, the Yankees will rely on the like of Brian Bruney, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, and Damaso Marte to serve as the bridge to Mariano. While these relievers got the job done for the most part last season, none provide the versatility or pure stuff that Joba does. More so, Joba can take over the closers role once the great Mariano has called it a career. Although Rivera has shown no signs of slowing down, it’s only a matter of time before the greatest closer of all time bows out. The Red Sox had a similar quandary with Jonathan Papelbon. They decided he could best help the club coming out of the pen. All Papelbon has done since then is become one of the top closers in the game today.

-Favad Ali