Should Joba stay in the bullpen or start?

[Husker_Power]

Hall of Fame relief pitcher says make Joba a closer

BY PETE CALDERA

THE RECORD (Hackensack, N.J.) link

 

TAMPA, Fla. - Go ahead and debate the merits of using Joba Chamberlain as a starter, or keeping him in the Yankees' bullpen. Goose Gossage already has the definitive answer.

 

"He's invaluable as a reliever," said Gossage, the Hall of Fame closer. "His arrival last summer was the only reason they made the playoffs. Getting the ball to Mariano (Rivera) was their Achilles' heel, until Joba came up and filled the bill."

 

Chamberlain's 2008 status is the most open-ended question in camp, one that has spawned another potential problem: Could a sudden switch in roles be harmful to the Yankees' most valuable young arm?

 

"He's the kind of kid that's going to do whatever they want him to do," said Gossage, who doesn't foresee any physical or psychological damage to the former Nebraska star starter based on the Yankees' approach.

Still, some baseball people wonder why the Yankees would even consider a midseason alteration in Chamberlain's role.

 

"At some point, you're going to have to make a decision and live with it," one American League executive said. "You can't start flip-flopping him around. He's too valuable."

 

Chamberlain is being trained as a starter this spring, though the plan is to have him open the season in relief. But if the team is winning with Chamberlain reprising his role as Rivera's lock-down, eighth-inning setup man, it's hard to envision the Yankees removing him from that role.

 

"One step at a time," General Manager Brian Cashman said when presented that hypothetical scenario. "All I can tell you is there's an innings limit on him.

 

"He can't come out of the gate and give us 200 innings. We look at him as a starter. But how we manage that inning total through the season remains to be seen."

 

All told, Chamberlain, 22, threw 117 innings during the 2007 season. But two years earlier, he pitched 118 innings as a starter for the Huskers.

 

There was a knee problem in 2006 that could have contributed to Chamberlain falling to the Yankees with the 41st overall pick (3.93 ERA in 89-plus innings at Nebraska), but Cashman said Chamberlain had no arm issues at draft time.

 

If there are any concerns about Chamberlain's health this year, "the bullpen is a safer place for him, if they handle him right," one American League scout said.

 

Another scout said there's no harm in ramping up Chamberlain's innings in March, only to make him a short reliever in April. "You're still building arm strength," the scout said. "If anything, he gets to work more on his other pitches."

 

"I see him as a closer," said the AL scout, who would leave Chamberlain in relief. "This kid is special. He's got a great makeup for this role. What happens if Rivera goes down with an injury?"

 

As the debate continues, Chamberlain straddles the line. "It doesn't matter to me," Chamberlain said of his role, though Gossage suspects the adrenaline rush of relief might claim Chamberlain's competitive soul - if it hasn't already.

 

The hard-throwing Gossage, whom Chamberlain is favorably compared to in style and demeanor, posted a 1.84 ERA as a reliever in 1975, at age 23.

 

"There's nothing more exciting in this game than coming in with men on base, late in a tight game," Gossage said. And in Chamberlain's case, "you've got that security blanket at the end in Rivera."

 

 

Joba this spring

 

Record 0-0

 

Innings 4.1

 

ERA 4.15

 

Games 2

 

Starts 1

 

Strikeouts 2

 

Walks 1

 

Hits allowed 4

 

Runs allowed 2

 

Earned runs 2

 

Home runs 1

 

Saves 0

[Blackshirt316]

He needs to stay in the Pen, he could be the next Mariano Rivera for the Yankees in 2 years.

[huskered17]

Stay in the pen. He will take over for Rivera this year. I think teams start hitting Rivera this year.

 

GBR!!!

[huskerfan500]

Yankees announced he will remain in the bullpen, I thought he should start, now he will be a reliever for the rest of his career

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

He dominated yesterday by striking out the side: MLB

[Blackshirtsguru]

Yankees announced he will remain in the bullpen, I thought he should start, now he will be a reliever for the rest of his career

 

 

 

How do you figure??