Yankees Diaries

Lately, we have been sizing up how the Yankees rotation will look come playoff time, and Joba Chamberlain did nothing to help his cause. After Friday's night start against the Blue Jays, it is becoming clear that Joba will not get the ball in Game 3 of the playoffs. With his innings continuing to rise and his starts continuing to look ugly, Joba might be better suited going back to the bullpen. Joba went just three innings giving up two earned runs on six hits and striking out just two batters. Although Joba's pitch count was at just 59, Joe Girardi felt it was time for the hook.

This bring up a new question: What is the point of trotting Joba out there if they aren’t going to let him throw the necessary amount of pitches to win a game. If a starter is limited to just 60 pitches each start, it is impossible to get into any rhythm and it is not likely they will be able to go the five innings needed for a starter to win a game.

What this also shows is how poorly the Yankees have dealt with Chamberlain. He has now been in the league for three seasons and his role is still unsettled. Is he a starter? Set-up guy? Or a closer? Joba is just a few months older the Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, and the two came up together and look what Seattle has done with him. The Yankees organization has done a great job the past couple of years, getting the right players, making the smart trades and turning down bad ones. But the way they have handled Chamberlain makes little sense.

This kid has all the talent in the world, although he has not had a chance to fully develop it because he has been limited in some way from the organization. It is obvious that the Yankees have high hopes for Joba and don’t want to wear his arm out, but they need to have a plan with him. What do they want from Joba? Once they are able to answer that question and define the role they want for Joba he will be a special player in this league for a long time. If they continue to pull him after three innings and switch him between reliever and starter, they will continue to watch him struggle. --- Andrew Cohen.