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 I'm one of those who believe that Joba Chamberlain should be pitching the 8th inning and should be the successor to Mariano Rivera.
If the Yankees were going to start him and be so focused on limiting the number of pitched he threw, I don't know why they did it the way they did. The Yankees didn't let Joba be a pitcher and ultimately he became nervous out there and pitched scared. He definitely did not show the fire in the belly that we saw from him out of the bull pen. The Yankees turned Joba into the Cowardly Lion.
I never understood why the Yankees didn't bring Chamberlain in to start the 4th inning and let him throw through the 8th. If Joba's pitch count was high, they could have brought Hughes in to pitch the 8th. Starting him and having him have to come out in the 4th always seemed to screw up the bull pen, and not for just that day, for days to come.
Now we get word that there will be no further restrictions on Joba and that they are going to let him play baseball.
Pitching Coach Dave Eiland on Joba:
"He's just going to go out and pitch and he'll be the one who'll dictate when he comes out as far as getting hit or getting tired or losing his stuff. He's not going to have any restrictions, so Joe (Girardi) and I are not going to have to go into the game thinking, 'Oh, he's got 85 pitches or six innings or whatever comes first.' We don't have to game plan it out."
That's all well and good but there only one problem. Phil Hughes is a better starter than he is and will win the last spot in the rotation. In fact, by playoff time Phil Hughes will have forced the Yankees into giving him playoff starts.
Joba can be a very effective if not dominating major league pitcher, but not as a starter. If you looking to draft either Chamberlain or Hughes as a starter in your fantasy draft, Phil Hughes is the guy you want, not Joba Chamberlain. - Keith A. Baker
Keith is a sports agent in Stamford, Connecticut. His goal is to offer a unique insight to the world of sports. Comments in his columns are for entertainment purposes only and do not reflect the views and opinions of his firm or his client.
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