Steinbrenner said by phone: "I want to make this very clear, for anybody who hasn't been paying attention - a top reliever, a great reliever, whether a setup man or a closer, does you absolutely no good if you can't get to him. He's doing you no good if you don't have the lead."
Steinbrenner had similar comments last month, when he asked for Chamberlain to immediately join the rotation.
"Obviously, I think he can be an ace starter," Steinbrenner said. "That's why he was drafted. That's what they thought of him when he was drafted. He can also obviously be an ace closer, but we've got [Mariano] Rivera for that, and he's having one of his best years."I agree with Hank, I think Joba's a future ace, and I believe starters are more important than relievers. And if he isn't successful as a starter you can always move him back to the bullpen, that's what some of people who are against this don't understand. I happen to think he will be very successful, he's certainly got the stuff.
Steinbrenner said there are a couple of things to be concerned about. One is that the Yankees don't want to rush Chamberlain into the rotation in haste, but Steinbrenner said he is confident that general manager Brian Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland have an appropriate timetable in mind to safely stretch Chamberlain out.
The other concern is how to fill Chamberlain's setup spot. Asked Steinbrenner: "Can we fill that other role? People seem to think so. We have some other capable arms. Not like Joba, obviously. There's been no more dominant pitcher in baseball, really, except Rivera."
The transition will continue today. Joba is supposed to throw 2 - 3 innings a 45 - 50 pitches. So we will find out soon enough if he's being rushed or not. I don't think he is, this seems to be the same thing they do with pitchers in Spring Training.
"Obviously, I think he can be an ace starter," Steinbrenner said. "That's why he was drafted. That's what they thought of him when he was drafted."
ReplyDeleteSo was Mariano Rivera. So was Goose Gossage.
Mickey Mantle was a shortstop. Posada came in as a 2b.
Just because a person was drafted to be one thing does not mean he cannot be destined for greatness at another position.
Unless Joba is the next Clemens, I prefer him to be the successor to Rivera.
What if he's the next Josh Beckett, or just the next really good pitcher?
ReplyDeleteClemens has racked up some of the best numbers in the history of the sport. I'm willing to bet a lot that nobody will be the next Clemens.
The kid has four very good pitches, I can't see how a team would waste that in the bullpen.
If he can't cut it as a starter he can always move back into the pen.
I agree Greg. We need to find out how good Joba is as a starter. We can't keep a potential top of the line starter in the bullpen. He can always move back.
ReplyDeleteWe already know he could be the successor to Rivera. I'm willing to go with the given.
ReplyDeleteIf he fails as a starter then he gets sent back to the pen as a failure?
He might be the next Clemens or Beckett but I hate to see Farnsworth and Hawkins blowing his leads.
Basically there is no right answer here. I just wish they would have done this in spring training instead.
It's not that I don't think Chamberlain should not be a starter, but the Yankees plan for transitioning him is embarrassingly naive. Seven months ago he was not allowed to pitch more than one inning at a time. Now, rather than allowing him a handful of minor league starts to truly build up his strength they are going to increase his workload at the major league level which will be a recipe for disaster.
ReplyDeleteThey're saying they've looked at all the situations where players have been transitioned this way, and are using that as a blueprint. I'm not going to expect the worst just for the sake of it. If they screw up, and Joba gets hurt, them I'll complain. Until then I'm going to hope for the best.
ReplyDelete