So, the Yankees finally announced their decison today. Well, yesterday now. Anyway, I really like it. And I'd love to see Joba Chamberlain stay in the bullpen all year. Here's my rationale.
* Though he wouldn't eat up as many innings for the Yankees as if he were in the rotation, in the bullpen Joba could have an impact on many more games.
* Even with a small history to go on, he was definitely not as dominant last year after he got four-five outs. And with the caveat that I know Spring Training shouldn't count, he hasn't exactly been dominant as a starter this spring.
* With today's era of starting pitchers going fewer innings, the bullpen is so important to hold and/or save games. How many teams place little importance on the bullpen only to have it come back to bite them throughout the season and into October?
* With the Yankees' possible projected rotation of Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, the team isn't assured to have depth from its starters. Wang and Pettitte are likely to eat innings, but Mussina, though I love his overall career, can be inconsistent with how many innings he gets through the last year or two. And two young arms equals likely inning restrictions.
So there's my two cents. Thoughts out there?
|
