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

The Promise of a New Season

(I am pumped for 2009!!!)

In the world of Major League Baseball its easy to get lost in the shuffle when you don’t have deep pockets such as the Yankees, Red Sox, or Mets do. Now don’t get me wrong money will not buy you a championship. It may make you competitive, it may get you a playoff spot, but in that 7 game series payrolls are thrown out the window and anything’s possible. Just ask Arod. But what will the spending of the large market teams do for them? It will make them money of course; you have to spend money to make money.

Why do people care about seeing the Yanks and the Red Sox square off 19 times a year? Is it the history or the heated rivalry? Too some, but mostly it's to see David Ortiz and Arod slug it out. To see Josh Beckett go K for K against Joba, or to see who’s more dominant in the 9th, The Sandman, Mariano Rivera or the Riverdancing Jonathan Papelbon. These are the stars of the game and people pay to see them. Networks pay big money to nationally televise these games. In the upcoming 2009 season you are guaranteed to see a Yankees/Red Sox Matchup on ESPN’s Sunday game of the week because viewers will tune in. This is the reason you wont be seeing any Nationals/Padres game, no one will care to watch.

This is not to say only the biggest spenders are the only teams worth watching. Over the last 10 years the Oakland A’s have the 4th best record in baseball (815-641, 5 playoff appearances) and the Minnesota Twins have the 8th best record (776-682, 4 playoff appearances) and this is done with only a handful of players the casual fan can identify. Also the Florida Marlins with a team payroll typically under Arod's annual salary have 2 World Series Championships since 1997. You just don’t hear much about teams like this because the solid fundamentals of a winning baseball team doesn’t sell tickets or make Sportscenter highlights.

People don’t get excited about a well executed sacrifice bunt or an effective bullpen. This is the exact reason why baseball is such a great sport and the reason why I fall into a depression every year between November and March. Its unpredictable, every year there will be teams and players that exceed expectations or fail to meet them. We only need to look at the Tampa Bay Rays for the most recent example. We can also look at individual performances. Alex Rodriguez, one of the best players in the game, a 1st Ballot Hall of Famer and dare I say a cultural icon has ZERO World Series Rings and a .279 BA and 17 RBI in 39 postseason games, and 1 RBI in his last 44 postseason at bats. Meanwhile David Eckstein who just signed a $850,000 contract with the Padres, roughly $450,000 more than the leagues minimum salary, has 2 World Series rings and was the 2006 World Series MVP.

With the first pitch of the 2009 season quickly approaching, optimism is in the air. Of course the analysts will favor the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Cubs but the games aren’t played on paper. So come playoff time don’t be shocked if the Royals' Zack Greinke is pitching a gem in game 1 of the ALDS or Jay Bruce comes through in the clutch in the National League Championship Series. These are the kinds of things that happen every year in baseball and no amount of money spent can help it or stop it.

-Robb Lennahan