Joba Chamberlain - Starter or Reliever? (1 Viewer)

[Tremendous Upside]

This is one of the interesting decisions the Yankees have to make this offseason...

I'll lay out what I find to be the salient points in favor of each:

Make Him a Starter

*Was a starter in college, as well as for all but 3 of his minor league appearances in 2007...His combined line in A, AA, AAA: 9-2, 2.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 5/1 K/BB ratio, 4 homers in 88.1 innings (so he had a lot of success as a starter)

*Has a full arsenal of 4 pitches (at least two of which are very above average (fastball and slider), another is plus (changeup), and another is probably average(curveball))

*Seems to have the build to be a innings eating horse at the top of the rotation

*200+ IP by Chamberlain much more beneificial to the Yanks than 65+ out of the pen

*Much harder to get top of the line starters than it is to get closers

Keep Him a Reliever

*Has truly excelled in the bullpen at the major league level

*Rivera is a FA, and even if he is resigned, he is going to be 38 at the start of next season

*No real closing prospects in Yanks minor league system

*Yankees relief corps needs a major overhaul as it is, Chamberlain would at least provide somestability

*No guarantee he will be nearly as effective as a starter as he has been out of the bullpen

 

[shadyridr]

If he doesnt work out as starter its much easier to convert him to closer. Resign Mo and make Joba a starter

 

[Darth Cheney]

Starter

 

[wilked]

He obviously can't handle hi-pressure situations and loses control, so probably best to use him as a starter

...joking

 

[NY/NJMFDIVER]

Starter, frontline stuff. You want that oomph at the start of a postseason rotation, like, I don't know, the Sox and Tribe.

 

[Koya]

I am definately of the mindset that a true top flight starter >>>>>> true top flight closer. Guys that have some limitations can get through without having those limits be exposed pitching 1-1.5 innings at a time. So you have more options in terms of talent converting to wins at closer. If you can get yourself an ace, by ALL means do so.

I think Yanks fans just take Mariano for granted. He is BETTER than the best ever. There is no comparison to Rivera in baseball history. So, unles Jaba is going to be the lightning that struck twice, give him a shot at starter.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Glad to see these results...

No brainer IMO also, but have heard a lot of sentiment towards the reliever thing...

I chalk it up to how dominant he;s been...

it;s tempting to just want to see that at the end of your bullpen for 15 years...

 

[Balco]

I voted reliever, but if they want to try him out as a starter, and then move him if he is not lights out like many other closers before him (Eric Gagne, Pappelbon, Tom Gordon, Jason Isringhausen, Joe Nathan . . . etc.), they should use him as a starter next year. The Yankees middle relief corps is a trainwreck. Mo Rivera is 38 and might not be back (If he is seeking a deal more than 3 years, the yanks should let him walk), Joba has shown he can be a dominant reliever. I just think his stuff is best suited for the pen - Plus fastball, plus slider. His changeup can be very inconsistent, and not having either a solid changeup or curve will get you a 4.00 - 5.00 era as a starter.

But if they want to experiment, next year is the year to do it, because that team might be pretty bad, especially if they lose A Rod's production on offense.

 

[Archie Bunker]

I voted reliever, but if they want to try him out as a starter, and then move him if he is not lights out like many other closers before him (Eric Gagne, Pappelbon, Tom Gordon, Jason Isringhausen, Joe Nathan . . . etc.), they should use him as a starter next year. The Yankees middle relief corps is a trainwreck. Mo Rivera is 38 and might not be back (If he is seeking a deal more than 3 years, the yanks should let him walk), Joba has shown he can be a dominant reliever. I just think his stuff is best suited for the pen - Plus fastball, plus slider. His changeup can be very inconsistent, and not having either a solid changeup or curve will get you a 4.00 - 5.00 era as a starter.

But if they want to experiment, next year is the year to do it, because that team might be pretty bad, especially if they lose A Rod's production on offense.

Has he even thrown either of those yet? I've seen him pitch several times & it has been all fastball, slider. His fastball & slider are not just plus, they've been devestating thus far.

 

[Reaper]

Glad to see these results...

No brainer IMO also, but have heard a lot of sentiment towards the reliever thing...

I chalk it up to how dominant he;s been...

it;s tempting to just want to see that at the end of your bullpen for 15 years...

I voted STARTER.. BUT,

Mariano is now talking tough and saying things like "They had their chance to sign me"....

So, now he wants to test the FA market... Well, I get that Mariano is the MVP for most of went well during the latest dynasty and what a great value he's been.... But, I'm just not sure how much money he should get at this point... Back in the day he was unhittable and the Game was pretty much over in the 9th inning... Now, I don't know, he didn't even get a ton of high pressure situations this year, now what about next year and the year after....

It's not easy and it's not a case of a Yankee fan underappreciating what he's done.. It's just a decision that most teams with HOF players come to where they must decide when and if it's time to step back and draw a line at just how much a person is worth for the future Value he brings and not so much on what he has done in the past.

Hopefully they would be able to get away with a relatively short term deal.

But, WITHOUT MARIANO......

Do people's votes change..... Me, I'd still hope to find another closer and let Joba try to be a staff ace but, it's not easy and you could wind up with a Farnsworth closing....

 

[guru_007]

voted reliever

first off, who's to say he can handle 200+ innings as a starter? I see his minor league statline...but isn't that over less than 100 ip?

second, yankees have a few starting pitching prospects, no? Hughes? I know they had at least one more rookie starter this year, and I think they have a few more in the pipeline.

next, I think your underestimating the value of a lights out closer having been spoiled by Rivera the past 40 years. Ask the Astros what they would do for Brad Lidge 2006-2007 to revert to Brad Lidge 2004-2005. Team went from a World Series team to the worst in the majors type team. There are a lot of guys that simply do not have the makeup to be a closer, and sometimes when they lose it, they go from great to cut, fast. Williams, Wohlers, Rocker, there are dozens of examples out there. Some guys are great setup guys but can never make the jump to closer too.

Sure it's true that if he can't handle starting pitching he can revert to the bullpen, but some players have egos. Not everyone is a Papelbon type player that wanted to be a starter but goes to the bullpen because it's what's best for the team, and then becomes lights out. Face it, there is much more money being paid as a stud sp then a stud rp.

As far as finding stud starters, yes it's hard, but what's to guarantee he will become an ace starter? he has been overpowering from the bullpen in short outings, but this certainly does not always equate to ace material. Would you rather have a stud closer for the next 10-15 years, or a decent #3 or #4 starter? I think a great deal of the Yankees turn around the second half can be pointed directly to their success out of the bullpen. Earlier in the year, they were a mess out there, more than a handful of blown saves. Second half they sured things up out there and went on a great run. The bullpen is the offensive line of baseball, they get little respect but are crucial to your teams success.

Lastly, I don't think it's that difficult to find ace pitchers out there, especially when you can throw around the kind of money the yankees can. I think yankee fans are a little jaded due to the money thrown to Clemens this year for mediocrity, the money thrown to Mussina for pretty much crap lately, money thrown to Pavano, etc... I think with better selections in free agency, yankees can easily find a stud pitcher out there. Santana may be available from what I've read, that may be a good place to start.

just my thoughts, of course I hate the Yankees so I could care less what they do...

 

[Tremendous Upside]

I voted reliever, but if they want to try him out as a starter, and then move him if he is not lights out like many other closers before him (Eric Gagne, Pappelbon, Tom Gordon, Jason Isringhausen, Joe Nathan . . . etc.), they should use him as a starter next year. The Yankees middle relief corps is a trainwreck. Mo Rivera is 38 and might not be back (If he is seeking a deal more than 3 years, the yanks should let him walk), Joba has shown he can be a dominant reliever. I just think his stuff is best suited for the pen - Plus fastball, plus slider. His changeup can be very inconsistent, and not having either a solid changeup or curve will get you a 4.00 - 5.00 era as a starter.

But if they want to experiment, next year is the year to do it, because that team might be pretty bad, especially if they lose A Rod's production on offense.

Has he even thrown either of those yet? I've seen him pitch several times & it has been all fastball, slider. His fastball & slider are not just plus, they've been devestating thus far.

He's broken out the curve a couple of times, haven't really seen the changeup yet...His profile says his change is better than his curve at this point, rating the curve as average and his change as a bit above average

 

[Reaper]

Lastly, I don't think it's that difficult to find ace pitchers out there, especially when you can throw around the kind of money the yankees can. I think yankee fans are a little jaded due to the money thrown to Clemens this year for mediocrity, the money thrown to Mussina for pretty much crap lately, money thrown to Pavano, etc... I think with better selections in free agency, yankees can easily find a stud pitcher out there. Santana may be available from what I've read, that may be a good place to start.just my thoughts, of course I hate the Yankees so I could care less what they do...

Santana is available for a TRADE... So, you'd have to give up maybe Melky AND Hughes...Pavano was a guy many teams were after and just didn't turn out, can't blame much there.I don't think Yankee fans expected a ton (STUD #1 - Umm No) from Clemens more than stabilizing the mess they had and hopefully a few good playoff games which is a crapshoot and might have worked out if healthy - Guys like Wells and El Duke come out of left field to pull that off at times,they're still no Beckett or Carmona and I still say the Yankess miss the playoffs without Roger and his influence on the young guys was great.I just don't think it's THAT easy to find Stud pitchers for any price as you claim...Joba is unproven but, does have STUD Stuff .... Where many of the pitchers out there now are more like Wang - Sinker ballers with some power and question marks even "Stuff" wise.

 

[Limp Ditka]

Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said that Joba Chamberlain would enter spring training as a starting pitcher.Interesting that it's Hank Steinbrenner saying it, rather than Brian Cashman. George's son has taken on a far more significant role over the last few months and appears poised to take over the team when George steps down (if George steps down). The media will push for Chamberlain to be placed into the closer's role if Mariano Rivera leaves. Still, the rotation is where he can most help the team, regardless of whether Rivera returns or not.Source: Yankees.mlb.com