Word has come out of the Yankee camp that Joba Chamberlain will most likely have to undergo Tommy John surgery which will end his season and knock him out for most of 2012 as well.
The Chamberlain injury is perplexing. Joba hit the DL two days ago with discomfort in his arm that was diagnosed as a strained, then torn flexor muscle. Both of those would have laid him up for a month or more, but news that it is actually a torn elbow ligament is devastating to an already shorthanded bullpen.
For right now the burden of setting up Mariano Rivera will fall to Dave Robertson, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Robertson has excelled in higher leverage situations this season and while his walk numbers are still worrisome, his strike out rate is more than impressive. However, this now means that relievers in the class of Luis Ayala and Boone Logan... Yikes.
The Yankees can be somewhat optimistic about another young hurler, as Phil Hughes seems to be progressing well in his rehab. Today he throw 30 pitches in extended spring training where he touched 90-92 on the radar gun. It will be important to see how he bounces back tomorrow and the next time out. Hopefully he will get into a minor league game soon and then into the rotation by the Fourth of July.
Things look bad right now, but not as bad as the media may make it out to be. The Yankees just need to survive until the return of Hughes and they need to start testing some of their young arms to see if they are ready to compete in a big league bullpen. Jeff Marquez is not the answer and neither is Ayala or Logan. Time to perhaps expand the role of Hector Noesi or give Kevin Whelan and George Kontos a shot. Both are having exceptional years as relievers at Scranton so why not give them a shot. Hell, even Tim Norton would be a good option at this point.
Hopefully once the rain subsides CC Sabathia decides to go into beast mode and allay the fears of Yankee fans for one night.
Showing posts with label Joba Chamberlain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joba Chamberlain. Show all posts
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Baseball is Back!
Yesterday we got our first taste of baseball since last November, and boy was it awesome. Some people ignore Spring Training and will only tune in once the real season starts, but to for me those games in February and March are what keep me going through the clean up from another wet and nasty winter thaw.
The Yankees fell to the Phillies 5-4 yesterday in a game that didn't see a ton of runs until the later innings. Early on the Yankee pitchers seemed solid. Joba Chamberlain threw a crisp clean inning where he displayed slightly new mechanics. Joba now starts his hands closer to his waist which gets his hands over the rubber sooner. The adjustment seemed to really change his approach and hopefully it leads to more consistent appearances throughout the season.
The young righty was plagued by massive late-inning blow ups during the first half of regular season last year, leading to a bloated ERA. If Joba can be what he was as a reliever in early 2008 or even the second half last season when he posted an ERA of 2.88 and a BB/K ratio of 4.63 then the Yankee bullpen has the potential to be a force of nature.
The other pitcher I was impressed with was Bartolo Colon. Crazy right? I should say I wasn't impressed so much as I was surprised his shins didn't give out under his ample frame. Also that he was able to touch the mid-90s with his fast ball in his second inning of work. That's really all Colon ever had, a power fastball, an average slider and an average change up. But if the Yankees can get 10 starts out of him, with him pitching to roughly his career numbers, then Brian Cashman's gamble will have reaped a decent reward.
The position players all did ok, A-Rod hit the ball with authority, everyone got excited because Mark Teixeira got a hit before May. Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson looked like they need a couple dozen more at bats before they will find their strokes, and honestly, Derek Jeter's 2011 swing didn't look a whole lot better than last year's version. Time will tell on that and I'm going to hold out hope that he can at least have a mild rebound from last year.
Today's game will give us a taste of the prospects. Ivan Nova will start for New York, and he will be throwing to the #3 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America: Jesus Montero. I was robbed of the chance to see him pitch when he was at Trenton back in 2009 and broke his wrist a week before the Thunder rolled through my backyard to play the New Britain Rock Cats.
Everyone will be critiquing his receiving skills, and I will be paying attention to that as well, but I can't wait to see him swing the stick. It should be fun to watch. BA's #43 prospect Dellin Betances will also be taking the mound today. He is one massive individual with a big fastball and a hammer curve. It should be fun.
The Yankees fell to the Phillies 5-4 yesterday in a game that didn't see a ton of runs until the later innings. Early on the Yankee pitchers seemed solid. Joba Chamberlain threw a crisp clean inning where he displayed slightly new mechanics. Joba now starts his hands closer to his waist which gets his hands over the rubber sooner. The adjustment seemed to really change his approach and hopefully it leads to more consistent appearances throughout the season.
The young righty was plagued by massive late-inning blow ups during the first half of regular season last year, leading to a bloated ERA. If Joba can be what he was as a reliever in early 2008 or even the second half last season when he posted an ERA of 2.88 and a BB/K ratio of 4.63 then the Yankee bullpen has the potential to be a force of nature.
The other pitcher I was impressed with was Bartolo Colon. Crazy right? I should say I wasn't impressed so much as I was surprised his shins didn't give out under his ample frame. Also that he was able to touch the mid-90s with his fast ball in his second inning of work. That's really all Colon ever had, a power fastball, an average slider and an average change up. But if the Yankees can get 10 starts out of him, with him pitching to roughly his career numbers, then Brian Cashman's gamble will have reaped a decent reward.
The position players all did ok, A-Rod hit the ball with authority, everyone got excited because Mark Teixeira got a hit before May. Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson looked like they need a couple dozen more at bats before they will find their strokes, and honestly, Derek Jeter's 2011 swing didn't look a whole lot better than last year's version. Time will tell on that and I'm going to hold out hope that he can at least have a mild rebound from last year.
Today's game will give us a taste of the prospects. Ivan Nova will start for New York, and he will be throwing to the #3 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America: Jesus Montero. I was robbed of the chance to see him pitch when he was at Trenton back in 2009 and broke his wrist a week before the Thunder rolled through my backyard to play the New Britain Rock Cats.Everyone will be critiquing his receiving skills, and I will be paying attention to that as well, but I can't wait to see him swing the stick. It should be fun to watch. BA's #43 prospect Dellin Betances will also be taking the mound today. He is one massive individual with a big fastball and a hammer curve. It should be fun.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Yankees Fifth Starter Race Down to Four
According to Ed Price via Twitter, the Yankees have put Chad Gaudin on waivers. It makes considering he would make the most money of any of the fifth starter candidates and his performance was the worst of the five this spring. So that leaves just Alfredo Aceves, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Sergio Mitre.
Aceves is most likely ticketed for the bullpen, while Mitre could end up back at AAA Scranton. Chamberlain and Hughes pitched yesterday and while I couldn't watch Chamberlain because it was an intrasquad game, I did catch Hughes four innings against the Phillies and they were some of the best I've seen him throw.
Obviously the results were not what you would want considering the three home runs he gave up. Still his changeup looked very effective. He had Jimmy Rollins falling over as he rolled over on a changeup that went for an easy grounder to first. Later he even had Chase Utley jumping out of his shoes at one.
Joba, on the other hand, seems to have remember how to pitch of late. He is throwing more strikes and attacking hitters. He is getting groundballs at a better rate than earlier in the spring. His recent performance has given Joe Girardi something to pause over as Hughes continues to dominate.
Many think that the logical choice would be either Hughes or Chamberlain while one of the two goes to the bullpen as Mariano's set up man. I think the logical idea would be to send the loser to AAA as a means of keeping them stretched out for when a call up is needed. I would be very disappointed if either Chamberlain or Hughes was forced to waste another year of their career in the bullpen. Sure they don't have much to learn down there, but at least it will keep them hungary when they come back up.
Aceves is most likely ticketed for the bullpen, while Mitre could end up back at AAA Scranton. Chamberlain and Hughes pitched yesterday and while I couldn't watch Chamberlain because it was an intrasquad game, I did catch Hughes four innings against the Phillies and they were some of the best I've seen him throw.
Obviously the results were not what you would want considering the three home runs he gave up. Still his changeup looked very effective. He had Jimmy Rollins falling over as he rolled over on a changeup that went for an easy grounder to first. Later he even had Chase Utley jumping out of his shoes at one.
Joba, on the other hand, seems to have remember how to pitch of late. He is throwing more strikes and attacking hitters. He is getting groundballs at a better rate than earlier in the spring. His recent performance has given Joe Girardi something to pause over as Hughes continues to dominate.
Many think that the logical choice would be either Hughes or Chamberlain while one of the two goes to the bullpen as Mariano's set up man. I think the logical idea would be to send the loser to AAA as a means of keeping them stretched out for when a call up is needed. I would be very disappointed if either Chamberlain or Hughes was forced to waste another year of their career in the bullpen. Sure they don't have much to learn down there, but at least it will keep them hungary when they come back up.
Monday, March 22, 2010
State of the Rotation: The 5th Starters
We come to the end of the rotations, and being that both teams have so many candidates I figured I would take the extra time to include the extra pitchers for each team.
The Yankees have the most candidates to fill out the final spot in their rotation. The group includes top candidates Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Al Aceves. Normally Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin would be included in this list as well, but the reality is they never really had a chance unless Joba and Hughes were hurt or completely inept. The Yankees simply have too much invested in Joba and Hughes to not have one of them in the rotation.
If the Yankees were to simply go by the performance of the top three candidates, this race would go to Hughes or possibly Aceves based on his early spring dominance. It seems though, that Chamberlain will end up with the job after his recent revival. Plus the Yankees didn't go through all of the trouble of expanding his innings total to the point where he could pitch an entire season uninhibited just to throw him back in the bullpen now. They owe it to the Joba Rules to see the process out to the end.
That being said, Chamberlain in the rotation wont be as bad as many think it would. Last year showed that until the Yankees handcuffed their young righty with ridiculous pitch counts he was more than adequate. Chamberlain reached his career high of 110 innings after eight shut out innings against the Rays, the Yanks went about skipping his turn and limiting his pitches. That severely curtailed his performance. I think that if he is left alone his performance will greatly improve.
The Red Sox on the other hand have fewer candidates for their fifth spot than a year ago. That season it seemed that the Sox were signing every rehab veteran around with the hope that one would return to form. In the cases of Brad Penny and John Smotlz the results were far from favorable. However there was a bright spot when Clay Buchholz was able to stabilize the last spot over the final two and a half months of the season.
The young righty will be coming into this season as a main contender for the fifth spot. He and Tim Wakefield will both start the season in the rotation until Daisuke Matsuzaka is ready to take a rotation slot. After that one will probably be shifted to the bullpen and, as long as Buchholz doesn't choke in his first few starts, that one will probably be Wakefield since it will be much easier for the knuckleballer to adjust back and forth between the pen and the rotation.
If you had to compare the overall pool of fifth starter candidates from both teams, I would give the nod to the Yankees for having more talent, but if you were to go by which two starters are most likely to get those jobs, I would go with Buchholz over Joba. They have both had their ups and downs over their short careers, but Buchholz was more consistently effective over the final two months of the season which is a lot longer than any stretch Joba has had in his major league starting career.
I'll give this one and the rotation battle to the Red Sox, 3-2.
The Yankees have the most candidates to fill out the final spot in their rotation. The group includes top candidates Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Al Aceves. Normally Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin would be included in this list as well, but the reality is they never really had a chance unless Joba and Hughes were hurt or completely inept. The Yankees simply have too much invested in Joba and Hughes to not have one of them in the rotation.
If the Yankees were to simply go by the performance of the top three candidates, this race would go to Hughes or possibly Aceves based on his early spring dominance. It seems though, that Chamberlain will end up with the job after his recent revival. Plus the Yankees didn't go through all of the trouble of expanding his innings total to the point where he could pitch an entire season uninhibited just to throw him back in the bullpen now. They owe it to the Joba Rules to see the process out to the end.
That being said, Chamberlain in the rotation wont be as bad as many think it would. Last year showed that until the Yankees handcuffed their young righty with ridiculous pitch counts he was more than adequate. Chamberlain reached his career high of 110 innings after eight shut out innings against the Rays, the Yanks went about skipping his turn and limiting his pitches. That severely curtailed his performance. I think that if he is left alone his performance will greatly improve.
The Red Sox on the other hand have fewer candidates for their fifth spot than a year ago. That season it seemed that the Sox were signing every rehab veteran around with the hope that one would return to form. In the cases of Brad Penny and John Smotlz the results were far from favorable. However there was a bright spot when Clay Buchholz was able to stabilize the last spot over the final two and a half months of the season.
The young righty will be coming into this season as a main contender for the fifth spot. He and Tim Wakefield will both start the season in the rotation until Daisuke Matsuzaka is ready to take a rotation slot. After that one will probably be shifted to the bullpen and, as long as Buchholz doesn't choke in his first few starts, that one will probably be Wakefield since it will be much easier for the knuckleballer to adjust back and forth between the pen and the rotation.
If you had to compare the overall pool of fifth starter candidates from both teams, I would give the nod to the Yankees for having more talent, but if you were to go by which two starters are most likely to get those jobs, I would go with Buchholz over Joba. They have both had their ups and downs over their short careers, but Buchholz was more consistently effective over the final two months of the season which is a lot longer than any stretch Joba has had in his major league starting career.
I'll give this one and the rotation battle to the Red Sox, 3-2.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Considering the Playoff Rotation
Obviously the Yankee playoff rotation begins and ends with CC Sabathia. He will need to be an ace if the Yankees expect to go anywhere beyond the first round. But Sabathia has been remarkably consistent in the second half so really the question marks begin with spot number two. Right now the debate rages over whether A.J. or Andy deserves that honor.
The Yankees must be hoping that A.J. Burnett has pretty much gotten out of his funk with two start solid starts. I honestly don't understand why people were freaking out about him. Burnett is a Jekyll and Hyde pitcher. Everyone who knows anything about baseball knows that he has the stuff to be amazing, but his inconsistency has always kept him from being one of the better pitchers in baseball. I guess it just makes good copy to worry about something when the team has every conceivable objective virtually locked up.
Burnett was slow out of the gate in April and passable in May. In June and July he was the best pitcher on the team and we all know about his August trials and tribulations. Now it seems that he has found his stride again in September, which of course makes the Yankees feel better about their October rotation.
Burnett really should be the number two starter no matter how he was pitching during this stretch run. He is a far better pitcher at home where he seems to be more comfortable and Andy Pettitte also seems to be a better pitcher on the road. It also splits up the two lefties and your two power pitchers. The question also arises of who you would rather have pitching in certain situations.
If Sabathia and Pettitte were your first two starters and both falter at home, leaving you in an 0-2 hole, do you really want someone as volatile as Burnett making his first playoff start on the road? Conversely if Sabathia and Burnett both go down you have your playoff hardened veteran lefty to face a hostile road crowd in a situation where he tends to thrive.
Thankfully Burnett is starting to make the decision easy for Joe Girardi. With those three at the top the Yankees will have the ability to match up with any front three in the league.
Now any four in the league is an entirely different question. The Yankees have huge questions about who would start game four. It is possible that they could avoid such a dilemma during the first round but if they were to make it to the ALCS then a fourth starter is a must. So far it can't be Joba Chamberlain. While the ability is there the execution is nowhere to be found. After getting bombed by the Mariners on Sunday it would seem that unless Joba shuts down the Sox and the Royals/Rays he may be watching the first round from the pen.
If that is the case then clearly Chad Gaudin is the number four for the Yankees. Though he leaves much to be desired in terms of pitching deep into games, he has been very effective of late and right now the Yankees have to have far more confidence in his ability to keep them in a game than Joba's.
The Yanks will begin the playoffs at home. The rotation should stack up as Sabathia in Game 1, Burnett in Game 2 and Pettitte in Game 3. Then repeat. At least that's the way it should be.
The Yankees must be hoping that A.J. Burnett has pretty much gotten out of his funk with two start solid starts. I honestly don't understand why people were freaking out about him. Burnett is a Jekyll and Hyde pitcher. Everyone who knows anything about baseball knows that he has the stuff to be amazing, but his inconsistency has always kept him from being one of the better pitchers in baseball. I guess it just makes good copy to worry about something when the team has every conceivable objective virtually locked up.
Burnett was slow out of the gate in April and passable in May. In June and July he was the best pitcher on the team and we all know about his August trials and tribulations. Now it seems that he has found his stride again in September, which of course makes the Yankees feel better about their October rotation.
Burnett really should be the number two starter no matter how he was pitching during this stretch run. He is a far better pitcher at home where he seems to be more comfortable and Andy Pettitte also seems to be a better pitcher on the road. It also splits up the two lefties and your two power pitchers. The question also arises of who you would rather have pitching in certain situations.
If Sabathia and Pettitte were your first two starters and both falter at home, leaving you in an 0-2 hole, do you really want someone as volatile as Burnett making his first playoff start on the road? Conversely if Sabathia and Burnett both go down you have your playoff hardened veteran lefty to face a hostile road crowd in a situation where he tends to thrive.
Thankfully Burnett is starting to make the decision easy for Joe Girardi. With those three at the top the Yankees will have the ability to match up with any front three in the league.
Now any four in the league is an entirely different question. The Yankees have huge questions about who would start game four. It is possible that they could avoid such a dilemma during the first round but if they were to make it to the ALCS then a fourth starter is a must. So far it can't be Joba Chamberlain. While the ability is there the execution is nowhere to be found. After getting bombed by the Mariners on Sunday it would seem that unless Joba shuts down the Sox and the Royals/Rays he may be watching the first round from the pen.
If that is the case then clearly Chad Gaudin is the number four for the Yankees. Though he leaves much to be desired in terms of pitching deep into games, he has been very effective of late and right now the Yankees have to have far more confidence in his ability to keep them in a game than Joba's.
The Yanks will begin the playoffs at home. The rotation should stack up as Sabathia in Game 1, Burnett in Game 2 and Pettitte in Game 3. Then repeat. At least that's the way it should be.
Friday, September 11, 2009
The Terrible Joba Plan
So Joba Chamberlain had yet another three inning start on Wednesday. While the overall numbers for this start were bad (3IP 3H 2R 1BB 3K) the sort of hide the improvement of this performance from the last two.
Joba had a bad first inning. He surrendered a lead-off home run to Jason Bartlett and then followed that with a Carl Crawford single. He managed to strike out Evan Longoria before walking Ben Zobrist and then allowing another single to Pat Burrell.
Then it seemed that Joba got mad. He struck out the next two batters and breezed through the next two innings with just 23 total pitches, including a very quick third inning with just nine pitches. His velocity also saw a jump, going from 91-92 in the first to 94-95 in the second and third innings.
I am a supporter of keeping Chamberlain as a starter. I believe that since he has always been a starter, he has the ability to succeed for 200 innings in that role every season. I also support the Yankees theory that his arm needs to be protected and that they should carefully watch his innings limit. Where I do not agree with the Yankees is in their methods to achieve this goal. It has not been fair to Chamberlain. He has lacked a structured schedule and to expect him to perform to the best of his abilities is just unfair.
The Yankees should have devised a better plan than what is in place now. The reality is that Chamberlain belonged in the minor leagues at the start of last season. He should of had his innings controlled at that level before he was brought to the majors for a full work load in June.
But the Yankees felt Chamberlain could handle the transition and were pressured by the knowledge that the bullpen would be much weaker without him. The same should have been the case this year. The plan should have been to limit his innings early in the season in the minors and then turn him loose in the second half.
They would have avoided all of these ridiculous discussions about him and his role if they had taken an even harder line when it came to his development.
The Yankees have been rightfully cautious with their young arms, they have merely been inefficient with the plans to protect those arms. Hopefully they have learned from their mistakes with Joba and Phil Hughes so they can apply those lessons to future arms like Zach McAllister and Manny Banuelos.
Joba had a bad first inning. He surrendered a lead-off home run to Jason Bartlett and then followed that with a Carl Crawford single. He managed to strike out Evan Longoria before walking Ben Zobrist and then allowing another single to Pat Burrell.
Then it seemed that Joba got mad. He struck out the next two batters and breezed through the next two innings with just 23 total pitches, including a very quick third inning with just nine pitches. His velocity also saw a jump, going from 91-92 in the first to 94-95 in the second and third innings.
I am a supporter of keeping Chamberlain as a starter. I believe that since he has always been a starter, he has the ability to succeed for 200 innings in that role every season. I also support the Yankees theory that his arm needs to be protected and that they should carefully watch his innings limit. Where I do not agree with the Yankees is in their methods to achieve this goal. It has not been fair to Chamberlain. He has lacked a structured schedule and to expect him to perform to the best of his abilities is just unfair.
The Yankees should have devised a better plan than what is in place now. The reality is that Chamberlain belonged in the minor leagues at the start of last season. He should of had his innings controlled at that level before he was brought to the majors for a full work load in June.
But the Yankees felt Chamberlain could handle the transition and were pressured by the knowledge that the bullpen would be much weaker without him. The same should have been the case this year. The plan should have been to limit his innings early in the season in the minors and then turn him loose in the second half.
They would have avoided all of these ridiculous discussions about him and his role if they had taken an even harder line when it came to his development.
The Yankees have been rightfully cautious with their young arms, they have merely been inefficient with the plans to protect those arms. Hopefully they have learned from their mistakes with Joba and Phil Hughes so they can apply those lessons to future arms like Zach McAllister and Manny Banuelos.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Yanks Take Three of Four in Seattle
Yesterday's loss was frustrating. It was frustrating because of Joba Chamberlain's poor effort, and the Yankees inability to square up Doug Fister's 86 MPH fastball.
But when you just won five in a row and 12 of 13 it's pretty easy to brush off a defeat, especially when the Red Sox lost earlier in the day.
I want to be hard on Joba, but it is hard to come down on a kid who is getting inconsistent rest in between starts which could lead to him getting out of rhythm when he finally does get on the mound. It is essential, however that the Yankees protect his arm and limit his innings especially if they envision him as their fourth starter in the playoffs. The regimen they have him on will probably lead to some clunkers, but its is easier for the team to endure such bad outings when they have a 7.5 game lead with the Red Sox seemingly unable to put together a run.
I imagine that the Sox will make a run at some point, but it is amazing to watch them right now. I never envisioned that they could be this bad for this long. Of course that's what happens when injuries force you to endure the likes of Brian Anderson in right field and Alex Gonzalez at short stop.
It is off to Oakland now to take on the lowly A's again. Tonight it is A.J. Burnett vs. our old friend Brett Tomko. This game has blow out written all over it, although I would not be surprised if Tomko put up a fight in the early going considering how upset he was with his dismissal from the Yankees.
It would be nice if they took two of three from the A's before heading back east for yet another Sox-Yanks series.
But when you just won five in a row and 12 of 13 it's pretty easy to brush off a defeat, especially when the Red Sox lost earlier in the day.
I want to be hard on Joba, but it is hard to come down on a kid who is getting inconsistent rest in between starts which could lead to him getting out of rhythm when he finally does get on the mound. It is essential, however that the Yankees protect his arm and limit his innings especially if they envision him as their fourth starter in the playoffs. The regimen they have him on will probably lead to some clunkers, but its is easier for the team to endure such bad outings when they have a 7.5 game lead with the Red Sox seemingly unable to put together a run.
I imagine that the Sox will make a run at some point, but it is amazing to watch them right now. I never envisioned that they could be this bad for this long. Of course that's what happens when injuries force you to endure the likes of Brian Anderson in right field and Alex Gonzalez at short stop.
It is off to Oakland now to take on the lowly A's again. Tonight it is A.J. Burnett vs. our old friend Brett Tomko. This game has blow out written all over it, although I would not be surprised if Tomko put up a fight in the early going considering how upset he was with his dismissal from the Yankees.
It would be nice if they took two of three from the A's before heading back east for yet another Sox-Yanks series.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The New Joba Keeps the Yanks Moving Higher
It is clear that a new Joba Chamberlain has taken the mound for the Yankees since the All-Star break. The young right-hander has thrown 21 2/3 innings since the break and has an ERA of 0.83. Chamberlain is working faster on the mound and with far more conviction than he has at any other point this year. He mixed his pitches well and kept the Rays guessing all night. The result was the best start of Joba's young career.
These last three starts should quell the Joba to the bullpen debate. Well at least until Mike Francesa gets back from vacation.
The Yankee bats backed Chamberlain against Matt Garza. Garza pitched effectively but the Yanks chipped away for three runs against him and then jumped on the Rays bullpen for three more once he was out of the game.
The only problem to come out of Joba's fantastic start is that he probably has about 30 innings left before the Yankees will have to put him in the bullpen in order to keep him around his innings limit for the season. That leaves about five starts more for Joba, but if he continues to pitch this effectively then the Yankees may need to deal with his limit that much sooner.
Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi may have to start treating him like a pitcher in the minors who has an innings limit per start, pulling him after six innings or so. It's one of the reasons I would imagine he was not allowed to finish last night's game.
No matter the situation with Joba, the news in Yankeeland is good after the Sox fell again and the Rays are now at a distance eight games in the loss column. The Yankees will need to make a deal for another start but it wont have to be anything of the scale of Roy Halladay. They will need a fourth or fifth guy and Jarrod Washburn would be a perfect fit, though, it seems that Seattle fancies themselves buyers after their acquisition of Jack Wilson and Ian Snell from Pittsburgh.
Cashman will make a move, he always has something up his sleeve around the deadline. Hopefully the offense will keep covering for Sergio Mitre and Joba's eventual replacement.
The Yankees are moving on to Chicago now to take on the White Sox for four games. It will be Andy Pettitte vs. Gavin Floyd tonight with Pettitte looking for redemption after a poor July that has seen him win one game in five starts. Pettitte will only become more important to the Yankees as the season progresses and the rotation weakens.
These last three starts should quell the Joba to the bullpen debate. Well at least until Mike Francesa gets back from vacation.
The Yankee bats backed Chamberlain against Matt Garza. Garza pitched effectively but the Yanks chipped away for three runs against him and then jumped on the Rays bullpen for three more once he was out of the game.
The only problem to come out of Joba's fantastic start is that he probably has about 30 innings left before the Yankees will have to put him in the bullpen in order to keep him around his innings limit for the season. That leaves about five starts more for Joba, but if he continues to pitch this effectively then the Yankees may need to deal with his limit that much sooner.
Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi may have to start treating him like a pitcher in the minors who has an innings limit per start, pulling him after six innings or so. It's one of the reasons I would imagine he was not allowed to finish last night's game.
No matter the situation with Joba, the news in Yankeeland is good after the Sox fell again and the Rays are now at a distance eight games in the loss column. The Yankees will need to make a deal for another start but it wont have to be anything of the scale of Roy Halladay. They will need a fourth or fifth guy and Jarrod Washburn would be a perfect fit, though, it seems that Seattle fancies themselves buyers after their acquisition of Jack Wilson and Ian Snell from Pittsburgh.
Cashman will make a move, he always has something up his sleeve around the deadline. Hopefully the offense will keep covering for Sergio Mitre and Joba's eventual replacement.
The Yankees are moving on to Chicago now to take on the White Sox for four games. It will be Andy Pettitte vs. Gavin Floyd tonight with Pettitte looking for redemption after a poor July that has seen him win one game in five starts. Pettitte will only become more important to the Yankees as the season progresses and the rotation weakens.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Joba Keeps the Yanks Rolling
Joba Chamberlain continued where he left off against the Tigers, dominating the hapless Oakland A's who were without Matt Holliday after his recent move to St. Louis. Joba had a rough start, but he settled down and pitched effectively after the first, only getting into trouble in the fifth before he struck out Mark Ellis and Eric Patterson with runner son second and third.
It's the first time all season that Joba has pitched this well in back-to-back starts and the first time in his career that he pitched into the seventh inning in consecutive starts.
It took a few innings, but eventually he got the support from the bats against an electric Brett Anderson. Like Vin Mazzaro on Thursday night, Anderson was filthy in the early going, striking out four of the first six Yankees to come to the plate. The Yanks persevered though, and eventually tagged the 21-year-old for four runs. They tacked on four more against the A's bullpen.
Phil Coke bailed out Joba in the eighth and after the Yankees put the game away in the bottom half Dave Robertson ended the game.
The only concern to come out of the game is that if Joba keeps pitching this well what are the Yankees gonna do with his innings limit, which in all likelihood sits around 160 innings. It may take some outside-the-box thinking and hopefully I will having something on that by Monday.
Little bit of history in the game as well as Derek Jeter passed Ted Williams on the all-time hits list. I know, I know Williams missed a ton of years in his prime because he was off winning a World War and killin' commies, but it's still cool to see the Captain pass that kind of a legend.
Tomorrow brings Gio Gonzalez vs. Andy Pettitte. The Yanks would do themselves well to continue this beatdown of the lowly A's, especially considering their pitiful hitting and their newfound lack of Matt Holliday. A sweep would seem to be on the menu.
It's the first time all season that Joba has pitched this well in back-to-back starts and the first time in his career that he pitched into the seventh inning in consecutive starts.
It took a few innings, but eventually he got the support from the bats against an electric Brett Anderson. Like Vin Mazzaro on Thursday night, Anderson was filthy in the early going, striking out four of the first six Yankees to come to the plate. The Yanks persevered though, and eventually tagged the 21-year-old for four runs. They tacked on four more against the A's bullpen.
Phil Coke bailed out Joba in the eighth and after the Yankees put the game away in the bottom half Dave Robertson ended the game.
The only concern to come out of the game is that if Joba keeps pitching this well what are the Yankees gonna do with his innings limit, which in all likelihood sits around 160 innings. It may take some outside-the-box thinking and hopefully I will having something on that by Monday.
Little bit of history in the game as well as Derek Jeter passed Ted Williams on the all-time hits list. I know, I know Williams missed a ton of years in his prime because he was off winning a World War and killin' commies, but it's still cool to see the Captain pass that kind of a legend.
Tomorrow brings Gio Gonzalez vs. Andy Pettitte. The Yanks would do themselves well to continue this beatdown of the lowly A's, especially considering their pitiful hitting and their newfound lack of Matt Holliday. A sweep would seem to be on the menu.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Burnett Keeps the Yanks Rolling
This was a game the Yankees should have won. In fact they should be winning every game they play against the Orioles. A.J. Burnett regained his first half form, striking out six and keeping the O's off the board for the first six frames while the Yankees built a comfortable lead.
There isn't much to say about the game. The Yankees jumped out in front early and the rest of the game felt like a formality. Brian Bruney attempted to make it interesting in the ninth, but before he could really get Girardi's heart pumping, the skipper came and got him in favor of Rivera who promptly struck Aubrey Huff out on six pitches.
There was no particular standout performer among the hitters and aside from Nick Swisher botching and subsequently making two amazing grabs in the outfield most innings moved by quickly. What today's victory does is ensure the Yankees will stay in first place for another day. Tomorrow the A's roll into the city. They are currently thrashing the Twins 16-1 in Oakland.
Tomorrow's match up puts Vin Mazzaro on the mound against CC Sabathia. Mazzaro began his major league career by throwing 18 scoreless innings and winning his first two starts. After those first two victories, though, he has learned how difficult the majors can be. The New Jersey native is 0-6 in his last seven starts, posting a 5.59 ERA. The Yankees have never seen Mazzaro so this game can go either way. Let's just hope Sabathia is on his game.
But I'm honestly more interested in seeing Friday's match up of Brett Anderson vs. Joba Chamberlain. Anderson was part of the Dan Haren trade back in 2007. He had a rocky start to his MLB career and the Yankees rocked him for three home runs when they faced him back in April. Anderson has gotten a lot better since then and he has yet to allow a run in July. Hopefully the game is a dual between two young pitchers on their way up and Joba keeps his new approach from last start.
There isn't much to say about the game. The Yankees jumped out in front early and the rest of the game felt like a formality. Brian Bruney attempted to make it interesting in the ninth, but before he could really get Girardi's heart pumping, the skipper came and got him in favor of Rivera who promptly struck Aubrey Huff out on six pitches.
There was no particular standout performer among the hitters and aside from Nick Swisher botching and subsequently making two amazing grabs in the outfield most innings moved by quickly. What today's victory does is ensure the Yankees will stay in first place for another day. Tomorrow the A's roll into the city. They are currently thrashing the Twins 16-1 in Oakland.
Tomorrow's match up puts Vin Mazzaro on the mound against CC Sabathia. Mazzaro began his major league career by throwing 18 scoreless innings and winning his first two starts. After those first two victories, though, he has learned how difficult the majors can be. The New Jersey native is 0-6 in his last seven starts, posting a 5.59 ERA. The Yankees have never seen Mazzaro so this game can go either way. Let's just hope Sabathia is on his game.
But I'm honestly more interested in seeing Friday's match up of Brett Anderson vs. Joba Chamberlain. Anderson was part of the Dan Haren trade back in 2007. He had a rocky start to his MLB career and the Yankees rocked him for three home runs when they faced him back in April. Anderson has gotten a lot better since then and he has yet to allow a run in July. Hopefully the game is a dual between two young pitchers on their way up and Joba keeps his new approach from last start.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Back On Track, At Least For A Day
Sometime you have to hit rock bottom before you can start your climb back to the top and the way last night's game started, you can be sure the Yankees hard hit bottom. The Yankees failed to score a single run in their first 14 innings against the Braves, including five perfect innings to start game two of the three game set.
But then Brett Gardner worked a walk and after he was picked off first, Francisco Cervelli picked the best time to hit his first career home run. From there the Yankees seemed to realize that they did in fact have bats in their hands and, if used properly, they could indeed score runs by using them.
Joba was again solid. He hasn't been spectacular and the reality is he doesn't have to be as a number five starter. All he has to do is continue to give the Yankees a chance to win. 6 1/3 innings, 3 runs, 2 earned... that's as good a chance as most teams will get from their fifth guy. If he keeps that up and starts to gain more command and learn to be more economical then he'll be fine.
This team is not as bad as the past twelve games would indicate, and with their bullpen and rotation starting to come to form (pending a healthy start from CC Sabathia on Friday) they can be so much better.
One game does not mean the world in baseball, and it would be nice for the Yankees to get a vintage start from Andy Pettitte on the road against Braves ace Derek Lowe, but this game could help the Yankees turn things around.
On a side note, how about the U.S. soccer team? That has to be the biggest win in American soccer history. I didn't have a chance to see it live, but I watched the replay and was impressed by the U.S. resilience against a formidable Spain. Spain clearly had a superior team, but the Americans scraped and clawed on defense to protect that fragile one goal lead until Clint Dempsey put the match away in the 74th minute. This was one of those games that can be infinitely frustrating if you have ever played soccer.
Your team is constantly keeping the ball deep in the opposition zone and you are seemingly dominating the game, but you get caught off guard by three or four counter-attacks and boom... you lose to an inferior team.
Hopefully this is a turning point for U.S. soccer, which was all but dead before Sunday's miracle win. The only thing that could top beating Spain would be beating Brazil in the finals... here's hoping for miracle #3.
But then Brett Gardner worked a walk and after he was picked off first, Francisco Cervelli picked the best time to hit his first career home run. From there the Yankees seemed to realize that they did in fact have bats in their hands and, if used properly, they could indeed score runs by using them.
Joba was again solid. He hasn't been spectacular and the reality is he doesn't have to be as a number five starter. All he has to do is continue to give the Yankees a chance to win. 6 1/3 innings, 3 runs, 2 earned... that's as good a chance as most teams will get from their fifth guy. If he keeps that up and starts to gain more command and learn to be more economical then he'll be fine.
This team is not as bad as the past twelve games would indicate, and with their bullpen and rotation starting to come to form (pending a healthy start from CC Sabathia on Friday) they can be so much better.
One game does not mean the world in baseball, and it would be nice for the Yankees to get a vintage start from Andy Pettitte on the road against Braves ace Derek Lowe, but this game could help the Yankees turn things around.
On a side note, how about the U.S. soccer team? That has to be the biggest win in American soccer history. I didn't have a chance to see it live, but I watched the replay and was impressed by the U.S. resilience against a formidable Spain. Spain clearly had a superior team, but the Americans scraped and clawed on defense to protect that fragile one goal lead until Clint Dempsey put the match away in the 74th minute. This was one of those games that can be infinitely frustrating if you have ever played soccer.
Your team is constantly keeping the ball deep in the opposition zone and you are seemingly dominating the game, but you get caught off guard by three or four counter-attacks and boom... you lose to an inferior team.
Hopefully this is a turning point for U.S. soccer, which was all but dead before Sunday's miracle win. The only thing that could top beating Spain would be beating Brazil in the finals... here's hoping for miracle #3.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Unacceptable
The Yankees play over the past two weeks has been down right terrible, especially for a team that thinks itself a World Series contender. After dominating in May the team as been in a swoon that has dropped them out of first and put them on the precipice of third place with the Jays charging through the Phillies this week.
It is unacceptable and embarrassing that the Yankees didn't sweep the lowly Nats. So you can imagine how bad it is for them to lose the series to them nevermind get shut out in one of the games.
Joba Chamberlain wasn't great over his six innings of work allowing 11 baserunners, but allowing three runs should have put him in line for a victory against the worst pitching team in baseball. The same goes for Chien-Ming Wang who wasn't that good. He wasn't helped by an awful call by the first base umpire or an awful play by Melky Cabrera in center. But all of the blame for these defeats has to fall on the bats. John Lannan pitched a good game on Wednesday as the Yankees failed to put together any at bats that lasted more than four pitches.
The same goes for Thursday as Craig Stammen shut down the Yankees for six innings before they finally started to take some pitches and work the count. If not for a great play by Willie Harris then the Yankees probably would have gotten back in the game.
The Yankees need to do something. Losing two out of three to the Nationals is unacceptable and if not for a rain shortened game for the Red Sox they would likely be four games back than three. I can imagine things getting much better for the Yanks though. The Marlins seem to be one of those teams that gets under their skin. They have good young pitching the Yankees haven't seen before and that seems to be the their kryptonite.
The Yanks were undefeated when allowing three runs or less. Who would have thought their first two losses would come against the Nats. Disgraceful.
It is unacceptable and embarrassing that the Yankees didn't sweep the lowly Nats. So you can imagine how bad it is for them to lose the series to them nevermind get shut out in one of the games.
Joba Chamberlain wasn't great over his six innings of work allowing 11 baserunners, but allowing three runs should have put him in line for a victory against the worst pitching team in baseball. The same goes for Chien-Ming Wang who wasn't that good. He wasn't helped by an awful call by the first base umpire or an awful play by Melky Cabrera in center. But all of the blame for these defeats has to fall on the bats. John Lannan pitched a good game on Wednesday as the Yankees failed to put together any at bats that lasted more than four pitches.
The same goes for Thursday as Craig Stammen shut down the Yankees for six innings before they finally started to take some pitches and work the count. If not for a great play by Willie Harris then the Yankees probably would have gotten back in the game.
The Yankees need to do something. Losing two out of three to the Nationals is unacceptable and if not for a rain shortened game for the Red Sox they would likely be four games back than three. I can imagine things getting much better for the Yanks though. The Marlins seem to be one of those teams that gets under their skin. They have good young pitching the Yankees haven't seen before and that seems to be the their kryptonite.
The Yanks were undefeated when allowing three runs or less. Who would have thought their first two losses would come against the Nats. Disgraceful.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Subway Series Part I
So I guess the Yankees had a rough stretch in Fenway during the week, but now theyhead home to the friendly neighborhood launching pad. I'll tell you this, one thing that would make me panic is if the Yankees fail to destroy Livan Hernandez. He has absolutely no business pitching against this team and the Yankees proved that back in 2007 when they faced him as a D-Back.
Tonight would also be a good night for dominant Joba to show up and shut down the Mets. The Yankees could really use a no doubt-win to boost team morale and that of the entire Evil Empire.
Tonight would also be a good night for dominant Joba to show up and shut down the Mets. The Yankees could really use a no doubt-win to boost team morale and that of the entire Evil Empire.
Friday, May 22, 2009
That's One Way to Limit Joba's Innings
The Yankee fans have been worrying all season about what the Yankees will do to limit Joba's innings load for the season. You want him to stay healthy simply because you want him to be the ace of this staff in a couple of season but you can't afford to lump 180-200 innings on an arm that has yet to see 150.
Last night the Yanks were given some unintentional help in that department by a line drive off the bat of Adam Jones. Lucky Joba's knee appears to be fine and he swears he'll make his next start, but I'm inclined to believe that the Yankees will need that knee to be absolutely perfect before they let him loose again. Problems with your legs lead to problems your arm as you try to compensate, so I'd imagine the Yanks take extra care with the bruised knee.
With a creative pitch count during Wang's rehab start tonight, the Yankees could skip Joba and use Wang on Tuesday in Texas. It's probably something Cashman wouldn't want to do since you would want to ease Wang back into the bigs rather than throw him at such a dynamic offense in a park designed for homers.
If anything, last night proved how valuable Alfredo Aceves can be for the Yankees. Aceves looks like the exact kind of pitcher the Yankees had when Ramiro Mendoza was the long man out of the pen. He is the long man the Yanks have needed for a couple of seasons, and his ability to come out and throw up two or three innings of quality relief will be invaluable for a bullpen that is still searching for reliable arms.
As the season progresses Cashman and Girardi will slowly need to rebuild the bullpen from what little bit carried over from last season. Right now they have four arms that can be trusted: Aceves, Brian Bruney, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera. I'm of the mind that Jose Veras is a lost cause and that Brett Tomko will eventually be Brett Tomko again. Hopefully David Robertson or Mark Melancon steps up to fill the void, or perhaps Damaso Marte remembers why the Yanks gave him a three-year deal.
There are options out there, and slowly but surely the Yanks are starting to piece together the rest of the arms needed to compliment all the bats they have.
Last night the Yanks were given some unintentional help in that department by a line drive off the bat of Adam Jones. Lucky Joba's knee appears to be fine and he swears he'll make his next start, but I'm inclined to believe that the Yankees will need that knee to be absolutely perfect before they let him loose again. Problems with your legs lead to problems your arm as you try to compensate, so I'd imagine the Yanks take extra care with the bruised knee.
With a creative pitch count during Wang's rehab start tonight, the Yankees could skip Joba and use Wang on Tuesday in Texas. It's probably something Cashman wouldn't want to do since you would want to ease Wang back into the bigs rather than throw him at such a dynamic offense in a park designed for homers.
If anything, last night proved how valuable Alfredo Aceves can be for the Yankees. Aceves looks like the exact kind of pitcher the Yankees had when Ramiro Mendoza was the long man out of the pen. He is the long man the Yanks have needed for a couple of seasons, and his ability to come out and throw up two or three innings of quality relief will be invaluable for a bullpen that is still searching for reliable arms.
As the season progresses Cashman and Girardi will slowly need to rebuild the bullpen from what little bit carried over from last season. Right now they have four arms that can be trusted: Aceves, Brian Bruney, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera. I'm of the mind that Jose Veras is a lost cause and that Brett Tomko will eventually be Brett Tomko again. Hopefully David Robertson or Mark Melancon steps up to fill the void, or perhaps Damaso Marte remembers why the Yanks gave him a three-year deal.
There are options out there, and slowly but surely the Yanks are starting to piece together the rest of the arms needed to compliment all the bats they have.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Joba Nasty in the First, Exceptional After
Joba Chamberlain was just about every bit of the ace the Yankees think he will be last night. He torched the Red Sox for 12 strike outs in only 5.2 innings including a stretch with 8 consecutive outs recording by strike out to end his start. But as good as he was after the first inning was surpassed by how bad he was in the first. The first five Red Sox reached base and the first four of them scored. Joba is 23 and will have games like this as he matures. He'll dazzle you and then crush you. The same can be said for Phil Hughes. This is the normal maturation process for young pitchers. Look at Zack Grienke who is finally fulfilling his potential at age 25. It's just that Yankee fans aren't used to these growing pains because it has been so long since young players, especially pitchers, have been allowed to grow and develop for them. The Yankees lost last night, but Joba showed why he belongs in the rotation and how great he can be. As a Yankee fan you can take solace in that.
It's amazing how close the Yankees have been to winning about four of their five match ups with the Sox. Last night they let yet another game slide through their fingers as they had numerous opportunities to tie or go ahead of the Red Sox but in each instance the lack of depth shined brightly and reserve players failed to come through.
Injuries have hurt the Yankees badly, but it's their lack of depth that has killed them in these games. You can't blame Ramiro Pena or Jose Molina for not getting the big hit against Beckett last night because the fact of the matter is neither should even be hitting in that situation. The Yankees had no choice. With Nady, Posada and A-Rod on the DL they've been forced to dive into a well that is just about empty in terms of bats they can bring up.
Cashman has done a good job with drafting pitchers as we have seen with Chamberlain and Hughes. There are talented arms down on the farm. Where they have failed so far is position players. They have next to nothing in terms of impact bats down in the minors. And right now that lack of depth is why they are 0-5 vs. the Sox.
It's amazing how close the Yankees have been to winning about four of their five match ups with the Sox. Last night they let yet another game slide through their fingers as they had numerous opportunities to tie or go ahead of the Red Sox but in each instance the lack of depth shined brightly and reserve players failed to come through.
Injuries have hurt the Yankees badly, but it's their lack of depth that has killed them in these games. You can't blame Ramiro Pena or Jose Molina for not getting the big hit against Beckett last night because the fact of the matter is neither should even be hitting in that situation. The Yankees had no choice. With Nady, Posada and A-Rod on the DL they've been forced to dive into a well that is just about empty in terms of bats they can bring up.
Cashman has done a good job with drafting pitchers as we have seen with Chamberlain and Hughes. There are talented arms down on the farm. Where they have failed so far is position players. They have next to nothing in terms of impact bats down in the minors. And right now that lack of depth is why they are 0-5 vs. the Sox.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Put That Damn Joba in the Bullpen... He's too Damn Good for the Rotation!
It's hard for me to fathom how anyone could watch Joba Chamberlain throw seven innings of one run baseball and still think he belongs in the bullpen. Isn't this exactly what the Yankees have been missing for the past six years? Haven't we had to suffer through enough starts by the likes of Sidney Ponson, Darrel Rasner or Shawn Chacon to realize that his is what the Yankees have been missing and what fans have been clamoring for for the last half-decade?
Nonetheless his solid start has failed to sway the minds of many in the sports world who believe that one good start by Phil Hughes has effectively shown that the return of Chien-Ming Wang to the rotation should be the harbinger of Joba's return to eighth inning obscurity.
Chamberlain is a starter. He has always been a starter and he has always been great as a starter. When the Yankees drafted him they saw Roger Clemens circa 1990, not Mariano Rivera that is still pitching at an elite level today. Relievers, including great closers, are merely failed starters. They are pitchers with one or two pitches who cannot survive more than once through a batting order. Chamberlain has three plus pitches: fastball (don't listen to that BS regarding his velocity... if he's still throwing 90 when it's warm out then come talk to me), slider and curveball. His change up isn't great but it is serviceable and will get better if he keeps working at it.
It seems like the worst thing the Yanks ever did for Chamberlain was ease him into the bigs and limit his innings by giving him a spot in the bullpen back in '07. The funny thing is that this is a common tactic for teams to give young starters an easy transition period into the rotation.
Case-in-point: Adam Wainwright. No one thought the Cardinals fools when they took Wainwright, a career long starter, and put him back in the rotation after he absolutely dominated as a closer during their 2006 World Series run.
Now Wainwright is a big part of that rotation and one reason why the Cards are a surprise team sitting onto of the NL Central going into May.
There are other examples too. Both Johan Santana and Fransisco Liriano started their big league careers in the pen and another recent example is David Price. I haven't heard any rumblings about the Rays throwing Price back in the closer role even though his performance there was a big reason the Rays edged out the Sox for the pennant and their current closer situation is abysmal.
The point is Chamberlain has to FAIL as a starter before you even consider him as a reliever. And guess what, when your totals in your first 16 big league starts work out to something like say 88.1 IP with 91 Ks and a 2.85 ERA, I'd say you might want to give it a couple more go rounds before you make any idiotic decisions.
Nonetheless his solid start has failed to sway the minds of many in the sports world who believe that one good start by Phil Hughes has effectively shown that the return of Chien-Ming Wang to the rotation should be the harbinger of Joba's return to eighth inning obscurity.
Chamberlain is a starter. He has always been a starter and he has always been great as a starter. When the Yankees drafted him they saw Roger Clemens circa 1990, not Mariano Rivera that is still pitching at an elite level today. Relievers, including great closers, are merely failed starters. They are pitchers with one or two pitches who cannot survive more than once through a batting order. Chamberlain has three plus pitches: fastball (don't listen to that BS regarding his velocity... if he's still throwing 90 when it's warm out then come talk to me), slider and curveball. His change up isn't great but it is serviceable and will get better if he keeps working at it.
It seems like the worst thing the Yanks ever did for Chamberlain was ease him into the bigs and limit his innings by giving him a spot in the bullpen back in '07. The funny thing is that this is a common tactic for teams to give young starters an easy transition period into the rotation.
Case-in-point: Adam Wainwright. No one thought the Cardinals fools when they took Wainwright, a career long starter, and put him back in the rotation after he absolutely dominated as a closer during their 2006 World Series run.
Now Wainwright is a big part of that rotation and one reason why the Cards are a surprise team sitting onto of the NL Central going into May.
There are other examples too. Both Johan Santana and Fransisco Liriano started their big league careers in the pen and another recent example is David Price. I haven't heard any rumblings about the Rays throwing Price back in the closer role even though his performance there was a big reason the Rays edged out the Sox for the pennant and their current closer situation is abysmal.
The point is Chamberlain has to FAIL as a starter before you even consider him as a reliever. And guess what, when your totals in your first 16 big league starts work out to something like say 88.1 IP with 91 Ks and a 2.85 ERA, I'd say you might want to give it a couple more go rounds before you make any idiotic decisions.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Baseball
I don't know why but Sunday afternoon baseball on Easter was always something that really tickled me. Not quite to the same extent as say, Thanksgiving Day football, but more on the level of having your family around to watch the game. It may not have huge implications, but everyone there is just relaxing and enjoying baseball together for the first time during the new season.
Today the Yanks go for the sweep of the Royals and Joba gets his first start of the year after sitting for a week. That usually isn't good for a pitcher, especially one of his age. I would expect him to be a little slow out of the gate and I will also be waiting to see the ridiculous headlines the papers come up with if he doesn't match the dominance of CC and Pettitte.
The end of the Sox game yesterday was great. The Angels rallying against Papelbon who had to fight through the last inning without his best command. I mean this is why we love baseball right? Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, down by one and its just the pitcher and the batter going at it for 10 pitches. Great stuff. God I've missed baseball.
Whatever you're up to today, enjoy your Sunday and watch some baseball. It promises to be a good day.
Today the Yanks go for the sweep of the Royals and Joba gets his first start of the year after sitting for a week. That usually isn't good for a pitcher, especially one of his age. I would expect him to be a little slow out of the gate and I will also be waiting to see the ridiculous headlines the papers come up with if he doesn't match the dominance of CC and Pettitte.
The end of the Sox game yesterday was great. The Angels rallying against Papelbon who had to fight through the last inning without his best command. I mean this is why we love baseball right? Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, down by one and its just the pitcher and the batter going at it for 10 pitches. Great stuff. God I've missed baseball.
Whatever you're up to today, enjoy your Sunday and watch some baseball. It promises to be a good day.
Friday, March 20, 2009
State of the Rotation: Part V
The fifth and final matchup is between Brad Penny and assorted others vs. Joba Chamberlain and fellow youngsters
It’s far from a guarantee that Penny will be in this spot for very long. The same can be said for Joba as well. Though both have the capability to be top rotation starters this season it really can’t be expected from either of them. For Penny the most important aspect of his game is health. He has a dominant fastball, though he doesn’t have overwhelming secondary stuff. But if that heater is out on the mound and he’s able to hurl strikes on a consistent basis then the Sox will be ecstatic with their minimal investment in Penny. If he doesn’t work out then they have either the stalwart John Smoltz on his way back from rehab or Clay Buchholz who is probably itching to prove himself after last year’s rough rookie season.
Joba on the other hand has slightly different concerns. Health is a big one for him, but in a different way. Aside from last season’s minor meltdown in his shoulder, Joba has proven to be healthy for awhile. But, like several other young Yankee pitchers, he hasn’t come anywhere near the innings levels that the Yankees want to see their big three at. The Yankees are saying Joba is going to get 30 starts which would lead one to conclude they want 180 innings out of him. If they could get that then they deserve a reward. It’s just unrealistic to expect that much out of arm that hasn’t been that taxed yet.
If Joba does slip up, then his first stop will probably be Triple A Scranton and in his stead will be Phil Hughes. Hughes has done several things better since his awful season last year. He has tweaked and improved his curve and he has begun to look to his a cut fastball on a regular basis and a change up on occasion. Beyond him there is Ian Kennedy and Kei Igawa…
Sorry I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Verdict: If this was question of upside and pure talent the Yankees would win. Even when Brad Penny was healthy he wasn’t dominant in the NL West, and the Yanks young guns have more talent than he ever did. Joba and Hughes both have more ability than Penny, but like him and Smoltz they both have durability questions. It’s a close call but I really like the Smoltz pick up for the Sox and I fully expect him to displace Penny when he comes back. Smoltz is a badass, even at age 41, and his experience and tenacity give him and the Red Sox a slight edge in this final slot over the upside an optimism of Joba and Hughes. Sox make it a game, but Yanks win 3-2.
It’s far from a guarantee that Penny will be in this spot for very long. The same can be said for Joba as well. Though both have the capability to be top rotation starters this season it really can’t be expected from either of them. For Penny the most important aspect of his game is health. He has a dominant fastball, though he doesn’t have overwhelming secondary stuff. But if that heater is out on the mound and he’s able to hurl strikes on a consistent basis then the Sox will be ecstatic with their minimal investment in Penny. If he doesn’t work out then they have either the stalwart John Smoltz on his way back from rehab or Clay Buchholz who is probably itching to prove himself after last year’s rough rookie season.
Joba on the other hand has slightly different concerns. Health is a big one for him, but in a different way. Aside from last season’s minor meltdown in his shoulder, Joba has proven to be healthy for awhile. But, like several other young Yankee pitchers, he hasn’t come anywhere near the innings levels that the Yankees want to see their big three at. The Yankees are saying Joba is going to get 30 starts which would lead one to conclude they want 180 innings out of him. If they could get that then they deserve a reward. It’s just unrealistic to expect that much out of arm that hasn’t been that taxed yet.
If Joba does slip up, then his first stop will probably be Triple A Scranton and in his stead will be Phil Hughes. Hughes has done several things better since his awful season last year. He has tweaked and improved his curve and he has begun to look to his a cut fastball on a regular basis and a change up on occasion. Beyond him there is Ian Kennedy and Kei Igawa…
Sorry I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Verdict: If this was question of upside and pure talent the Yankees would win. Even when Brad Penny was healthy he wasn’t dominant in the NL West, and the Yanks young guns have more talent than he ever did. Joba and Hughes both have more ability than Penny, but like him and Smoltz they both have durability questions. It’s a close call but I really like the Smoltz pick up for the Sox and I fully expect him to displace Penny when he comes back. Smoltz is a badass, even at age 41, and his experience and tenacity give him and the Red Sox a slight edge in this final slot over the upside an optimism of Joba and Hughes. Sox make it a game, but Yanks win 3-2.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Joba, What an Idiot
As if news in Yankeeland wasn't bad enough, now we have to listen to crap about Joba Chamberlain being a drunk. It's amazing how dumb some of these young athletes are. He's just lucky he didn't hurt anybody.
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