From Marky Mark Feinsand at the Daily News:
Chamberlain plans to return to the fastball-slider combination that made him so successful in the eighth-inning setup role in 2007 and ’08.
“Those are the pitches we’re going to go to,” Chamberlain said yesterday. “We’re still going to have the other ones in case you have to fool someone every once in a while, but those worked out of the bullpen before so we’ll continue to go to those.”
At NoMaas, we don’t develop players. We’re not scouts. We’re not pitching coaches. We’re just guys who like stats and photoshop pictures. But, we’re really confused as to how Joba can one day be an effective starter with another year of just focusing on just two pitches.
And this is just a weird statement (from MLB.COM’s Bryan Hoch):
“What we did was, we finished off his development program,” Cashman said. “We have choices with him. He can start if we need him to start, he can relieve if we want him to relieve. So I don’t feel it’s a waste at all. We completed the mission on him, and what will be — will be.”
So if the mission is “completed”, it sounds like Joba is destined to be a Ramiro Mendoza type. We’re really scratching our heads right now. This sounds pretty messed up.
28 Comments
Billy Ray Valentine March 27, 2010 10:08
is that his upper 90′s fastball or that mediocre garbage he’s been throwing for the last yr or so??
I think I will……. retireee
Scott Proctor March 27, 2010 10:37
I have complete trust in the Yankees’ handling of pitchers.
Tanyon Sturtze March 27, 2010 10:51
Joba ain’t got crap on me. I invented the starter who could relieve.
Mike March 27, 2010 10:54
There is a major assumption with putting him in the bullpen thats probably not valid. Everyone projects him to be the exact same person he was in the fleeting moment of 2007 (24IP, *.038ERA*, 1.82FIP 2.4xFIP, 34K 6BB) and begining of 2008 (35 IP 2.3ERA, 44k 14BB). What is commonly forgotten is that he was equally dominant, nearly identical K/BB rates, in 2008 in his brief stint as a starter (64 IP 2.7ERA, 74K 25BB). For the same reasons he wasn’t as effective in 2009 compared to 2008 as a starter, there is little reason to think his first two seasons as a reliever serve as a projection for how he will do if the front office makes him a reliever long-term.
Backup D3 Center March 27, 2010 11:00
Maybe Joba is exhibiting an extremely slow learning curve and the Yankees want him to reestablish his commanding fastball-slider combo before seriously focusing on developing another secondary pitch. The best way to look at this might be from the angle of Joba having taken a step back in his development and needs to get back to where he was before moving on from there.
bartonbickle March 27, 2010 11:48
I honestly don’t care if Joba becomes an ace or if he becomes the next closer anymore. I don’t think Ca$hman is planning on going into ’11 with Pettitte and Vazquez coming off the books and Chamberlain as the only candidate to fill one of those slots. If he dominates out of the pen and Hughes does a good job in the rotation, they may as well stick with what works. If Joba wants to start in the future, he should start figuring out how to throw his curve for strikes with consistency and develop a change. It worked for P-Huge, it can work for Joba.
Dave Eiland March 27, 2010 11:55
wait…… their supposed to get better??? ohhhhhh, my bad!
Crash Davis March 27, 2010 12:05
Hey Meat…Don’t think…it could only hurt the ballclub
Crash Bandicoot March 27, 2010 12:26
the statements have been all over the board on him from the front office. But this latest one from cashman sure makes it seem like they don’t view him long-term as a 200 IP per year starter.
Bobby Cox March 27, 2010 13:08
Sent him to me….we’ll fix him, you can have him back in when he hits free agency
Famous Name March 27, 2010 16:58
Look, I’m posting a funny joke from a famous name!
Famous Amos Cookies March 27, 2010 17:04
I wish they’d just say: Joba will be X.
Jonathan Albaladejo March 27, 2010 21:10
Bartonbickle, Joba doesn’t need to develop a changeup since e already has a nice one(queue his start against Boston last year at the stadium). He just needs to throw it more.
Joe Borowski March 27, 2010 21:16
I agree.
Brien Taylor March 27, 2010 23:22
Nobody messes with my brother! Nobody!!
Ugueth Urbina March 28, 2010 01:13
SHUT ur mouth or ill machete your face
Sterling HItchcock March 28, 2010 01:16
Sniffle …. Sniffle ….
Mike March 28, 2010 03:47
If Tom Seaver was drafted by the Yankees, they would have turned him into Dick Tidrow.
Matt DiBari March 28, 2010 15:55
We’re just realizing now that Joba’s “development program” is messed up?
petebannedme March 28, 2010 16:11
“Mission Accomplished?” Cashman is worrying me with that.
Butcher March 29, 2010 08:30
So they’re telling a guy who has the potential to have three or four PLUS pitches…to become a two pitch pitcher?
Someone needs to step in at this point…Hank? Hal? Anyone? I mean the logic is pure insanity.
Matt March 29, 2010 11:17
The problem with Joba is that he’s just not that great. The Yankees didn’t ruin him; moving back and forth between the pen and the rotation is a fairly common thing, in fact, some great starting pitchers began as relievers. This is just something that fans want to yell about.
If he was a better pitcher, he would be having more success.
fischlin March 29, 2010 11:34
They ruined Righetti’s career. I probably should get over it by now but they took the best young lefty starter in the league coming off a no-hitter and made him a one-pitch reliever. Idiots.
If my memory serves me right his next start after the no-hitter was after the All-star game and I think he went ten innings and only gave up one run against the Royals.
So instead of Righetti leading the ’84 staff we get Joe Cowley.
I’ll never get the justification behind a reliever throwing the same pitch all the time – except for Mo because his one pitch is unhittable. It’s nonsense to say I don’t want to get beat with anything other than my best pitch. So in effect the reliever is telling a major league hitter what’s coming. Keep the hitter off balance if you have a decent 2nd or 3rd pitch throw it.
Robertson is successful because he mixes it up. If he gets a chance to close-out a game this year is he going to go only with his fastball? It’s just stupid.
Frederick the Elephant March 29, 2010 12:58
Matt, you’re dumb if you think you can make a conclusion about a young pitcher like that already.
Rob in CT March 30, 2010 11:21
I don’t think Joba’s been the same since his shoulder strain down in Texas in ’08. Since then, his stuff just hasn’t been as good. He could still be a solid ML pitcher (say, a #4 starter) with the stuff he has now, if he improves his command and pitch mixing. But unless he recovers the nasty stuff he had pre-injury, he’s not going to be that dominant ace-type pitcher we hoped for.
I think the Yankees believe the upside play now is to let Hughes start, and see if Joba’s arm is reinvigorated by a lesser workload.
Mark Prior March 31, 2010 15:56
I’d trust the Yankees to handle my career.
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Ed Whitson April 8, 2010 15:39
Watching Joba pitch gives me diarrhea.