Joba

by tyrannoman on Jun 4, 2008 7:52 AM PDT Comment 27 comments

As I read a little more hype about Joba Chamberlin, and his much anticipated first start, I wonder how were loyal readers here at McCovey Chronicles would react if the Giants' treated Tim Lincecum in such a manner. Set up work, ship to rotation with a hard limit of 65 pitches per game. I understand that Joba is a special talent, and the Yankees are much smarter than I am, but this seems boarderline crazy to me. If you want the kid to start, let him build up innings in the minors and have him start. If you want him setting up, have him set up this year and play winter ball to ready him for starting duty next year. Now, the Yankees have created a situation where they've created a huge hole at the end of thier bullpen, while severley taxing the front end. Any thoughts?

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If it was good enough for Earl Weaver..

..it’s good enough for me. The only thing I’d have done differently is stretch him out more in long relief - also a la Weaver - before a first start.

by wcw on Jun 4, 2008 7:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

But Earl brought up starters and worked them out of the pen until they threw well enough to join the rotation. IMO, this is a totally different devolpment idea.

by tyrannoman on Jun 4, 2008 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m already tired of Joba Chamberlain and he’s only had 1 career start.

Imagine if Lincecum was in New York starting, holy crap.

Bay City Ball

by xanthan on Jun 4, 2008 8:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And

Now, the Yankees have created a situation where they’ve created a huge hole at the end of thier bullpen, while severley taxing the front end. Any thoughts?

I don’t buy into that thought very much. He was great as a setup man, but he’ll give the Yankees 100x more value as a starter. They can pick up a Brian Fuentes or Damaso Marte if they need someone to work the 8th inning.

Bay City Ball

by xanthan on Jun 4, 2008 8:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

the Trade market is far better for relievers right now than reliable 2-3 starters

Todd Jennings: Next up on the Non-prospect Backup Catcher Train. Next Stop: The Pine at AT&T Park

by Speedforthewin on Jun 4, 2008 8:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point. I totally agree that he adds way more value in the long run as a starter, and picking up Fuentes would fill that hole.

by tyrannoman on Jun 4, 2008 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, the Yankees have been rumored to have liked Fuentes for awhile and with the Rockies totally out of the West, they’ll probably sell pieces like Fuentes at the deadline this year.

Bay City Ball

by xanthan on Jun 4, 2008 8:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or maybe...

a Tyler Walker?

Everybody Loves Durham
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by Natto on Jun 4, 2008 12:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My thoughts?

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH YANKEES SUCK!

Adopted father of the AnVil / GIANTSPACE™ returns!

by SoFa King Mike on Jun 4, 2008 8:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

+500

Todd Jennings: Next up on the Non-prospect Backup Catcher Train. Next Stop: The Pine at AT&T Park

by Speedforthewin on Jun 4, 2008 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Joba

I don’t think he any more special than one Matt Cain. Same basic body build, both have great stuff, except the Giants wouldn’t ever consider using him in the bullpen. Only in New York would a team be crazy enough to try to convert a reliever to a starter on the fly in the majors. That they didn’t send him down speaks volumes as to how valuable he is to that team and how much they need him on that staff. Then again, if we were without cain for a few weeks…

Todd Jennings: Next up on the Non-prospect Backup Catcher Train. Next Stop: The Pine at AT&T Park

by Speedforthewin on Jun 4, 2008 8:10 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

as per comparisons to Cain, dude threw 63 pitches in 2 1/3 innings last night. Keeping those pitch counts high is a specialty of Matty.

by WilliamVanLandingham on Jun 4, 2008 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Timmy's better than Joba, IMO

And what we’ve done with Timmy’s worked out so far.

Proud pappa of....STEVE HOLM!!

by UnleashTheGore on Jun 4, 2008 8:36 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Remember, though

Tim’s an alien cyborg who feels fine after pitching 7 or 8 innings and feels he can go more!

by sfgfan on Jun 4, 2008 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think the Yankees are smarter than you, Tman

This is a terrible situation that Girardi has been forced into by a tyrannical owner. It’s not a baseball decision. But Girardi will still be the scapegoat when Joba’s arm is stromboli next year.

Billy Hayes: Nine more big-league plate appearances than you.

by delorean on Jun 4, 2008 8:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree. From the moment they announced this shit during the long, bleak winter I’ve been confused. If KC, or Pittsburg, or even Tampa tried this crap they would’ve been flayed by the baseball press. With the Yankees, though, Joba is the second coming of all that is important in life. Even though he’s dead to me now, I’m glad Joe Torre didn’t have to sit through this.

by tyrannoman on Jun 4, 2008 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it’s crazy that they babied the guy with no history of injury or arm problems (that I know of), while at the same time sacrificing Phil Hughes to a group of vengeful gods by pushing him past his youthful limits every five days.

If anybody needed to start his career stretching out and adjusting to ML hitting in the bullpen, it was Hughes. Instead, they babied Joba for absolutely no good reason.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 4, 2008 1:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Joba’s had knee problems, and even had to have surgery on his left knee.

Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.

by Anticon23 on Jun 4, 2008 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

oic

But Hughes has had actual arm problems, hasn’t he…? Or was at least always considered a huge risk. Still seems ridiculously contradictory to me.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 4, 2008 7:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can't understand the Yankees

You can only hope to contain them.

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by Natto on Jun 4, 2008 8:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately

“Containing” the Yankees at this juncture would mean that they are everywhere.

Only 913 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 4, 2008 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's Joba's psyche

He’s got to be babied because he is always borderline depressed due to his heritage being trampled upon by those heartless people in Cleveland. If the team in Cleveland was called the Hoochies or something, then he would have been dominating every fourth day. There really is no other explanation.

Only 913 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 4, 2008 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Word

The word I get is that Joba would be best used out of the pen.

by sharksrog on Jun 5, 2008 12:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

No doubt he has great stuff, and I”ll be curious to see if he can start. I just feel this is an asinine way of converrting a young pitcher to a starter.

by tyrannoman on Jun 5, 2008 7:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Joba was supposed to be

the eventual replacement for Mariano Rivera. Part of the decision to move him into the starting rotation was forced by Hughes and Ian Kennedy not performing up to expectations. Clearly though this decision was forced on Girardi by Hank Steinbrenner.

I am so glad that Hank is running the team now. It is reminiscent of the old days when George Steinbrenner used to screw up the Yankees until he learned to let the baseball people run things. Hank is a train wreck, and oh so much fun watch.

by marklar on Jun 5, 2008 8:15 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I’ve NEVER heard this. Everything I ever heard was that they had always planned on having him in the rotation, and were just easing into the MLs with bullpen work.

I’ve never heard that he was supposed to stay there.

Can somebody confirm???

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 5, 2008 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In fairness,

what I heard could have been pure speculation. Also, and I know this is lame, I can’t remember who said it. But I did hear that on ESPN (Steve Phillips? IDK). It was early in the season when the expectations for Hughes and Kennedy were high. The speaker (whomever it was) said that Joba was necessary in the set-up role to bridge the gap between the starters and Rivera, and could naturally progress to be the next Yankee closer when Rivera declined or retired. The speaker said that the Yankees did not want to have 3/5 of their rotation be so inexperienced, and Joba was the natural choice for the pen, He also said that he did not expect Rivera to be as effective a closer, as he had been, for 3 more years (the end of his current contract).

I have no doubts that that is what I heard, but again maybe it was just spit-balling.

by marklar on Jun 5, 2008 5:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs