Player Profiles: Joba Chamberlain

In this section, I will be discussing a player on the team and talking about what they've done, what they're doing, and what they need to do.  Basically, it's a profile on a specific player.  This week's, and the first ever profile is on Joba Chamberlain.

Here is how a rival scout sizes up Joba:

"Electric fastball.  One of the best fastballs in the league right now.  He can legitimately throw the thing 100 [mph], and when he's coming out of the bullpen in the eighth inning like he was, it's just impossible.  And then, the way he was throwing his slider in the high 80s and even sometimes 90- completely ridiculous.  I mean, you talk about stuff- this guy has stuff.  And you didn't even see his changeup, which is good, or his curve, which is even better.  I say as a starter, he'll be even better, once he figures out the way he wants to work in all those different pitches."

And that's exactly why he's gotta be a starter.  At first, I wanted him to stay as the 8th inning man because I can't rely on any of the other guys they've got out there.  But the thing that gets me is, he threw two plus pitches last year and guys couldn't touch it, but as a starter he will feature 4 plus or above average pitches.  If you can fathom two pitches people can't touch, mix that with 2 more that look to be tough to hit, you've got yourself quite the pitcher.  And if they were to leave him be in the bullpen for the rest of his career, it would be a waste of talent, because those other plus pitches wouldn't be featured.  If you've got that kind of talent, you've got to let it shine.

"The only question with him is whether he'll hold up.  He's got one of those bodies that has a tendency to get a little bit big, though I understand he's lost a lot of weight, and the encouraging thing is that he didn't seem to put any on while he was in the majors.  Most guys, they get that first taste of the big leagues, they're eating out every night, clubhouse food, whatever- they puff up a bit.  He went the other way- hard workouts, discipline.  If he has the makeup to go with the stuff, you're talking about a special, special pitcher."

And this is why I still have a bit of a hesitant reaction when I hear he will be a starter.  I am from the school of thought that says if it's not broken, don't fix it.  I think that applies here, because Joba's role as the setup man worked perfectly, seeing that and the fact that we don't really have a reliable reliever, why would you want to take a perfect fit and ruin it?  Joba rarely faulted as a reliever, now they take him from looks to be his new element, and put him in another one where they don't know how he will perform under.  Basically, they're fixing something that was flawless, that needs no fixing.  I think of another hefty pitcher, Bartolo Colon, 2 seasons removed from a Cy Young, his body couldn't hold up and now he's on a minor league deal.  He could be effective as a reliever, because he would only need to pitch for an inning or 2.  Now Joba's in much better shape, but I think that if he has to pitch for 6-8 innings, his body may not hold up, where if he pitches 1+ we know his body can hold up.  I am still skeptical about the move, but that really means nothing.

Joba is the impact rookie for the Yankees, here's what the Sporting News says about that:

"Perhaps no minor league pitcher generated as much buzz as Chamberlain last season after his high-profile insertion into the Yankee bullpen.  Despite having first-round talent in 2006, he slid to the draft's supplemental round due to a knee injury.  Possessing a tall, strong frame and plenty of arm strength, he has a very impressive 88-97-mph fastball and a plus 80-85-mph slider that misses bats with ease.  His 72-75-mph curveball is also a solid pitch, and he will offer an 80-82-mph changeup.  Chamberlain was brilliant as a starter at three levels last year, going 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA, 5.3 K/BB ratio 13.8 strikeouts per game and .198 opponents' average.  Surprisingly, he adapted well to relief while serving as Mariano Rivera's primary setup man, and posted a 0.38 ERA and 12.8 strikeouts per game in 19 appearances.  The Yankees plan on moving him back into the rotation to begin 2008."

Indeed his story will be a compelling one over the course of the 2008 season, will he shift from starter to reliever, will he stick as an effective starter, or will he be the heir-apparent to Mariano Rivera?  Important questions, all to be answered this year.