Wanna Win? Put Joba in pen

Shut up already he's a starter !

They need more than injury prone Joba.

Joba is already having arm problems, he won't last as a start; keep him on the pen.

I bet Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens would have made great 8th inning guys in their primes. But the reason they started was because they were too good.

Joba has 4 solid pitches that can get big league hitters out. Compare that to Mariano who has made a career on 1 pitch. As a starter, that wouldn't work.

When you have that many pitches, you need to start. You don't throw away a potential number 1 starter by making him a middle reliever. The Yankees didn't lose last year because of their pen. They lost because their offense scored almost 180 fewer runs.

Wally,
How is it that the Yanks will get to the 8th inning? They will have Wang as there only starter. Yes, they will pick up one or two free agents, may bring Pettite back, however they need starting pitching. Moving one of the two starters to the bullpen does not fix anything.

This is the dumbest thing I have read in a while. Let's give up 200+ innings of the ace we desperately need for 70-80 innings of set-up which was filled quite adeptly and cheaply this year by numerous under appreciated members of one of baseball's best bullpens: 5th in AL in ERA, 2nd in wins, 1st in strikeouts, 3rd in BAA, 3rd in opponent OPS. The most telling stat for the Yanks bullpen is that they were 2nd in the AL in total innings - meaning we need high quality starting pitching innings. Joba provides this at a much cheaper cost than any free agent starter. Remember, Mo was given a shot at starting in 1995, and didn't do too great due to lack of repertoire. Joba was given a shot and proved he can be a dominant starter. I don't see why we should give that up based on a factless commentary full of nostalgic delusions.

Wallace I couldn't agree more! I believe so called "Injury prone Joba" is more likely to stay healthy and focused in the set up role. We need that position locked down, we can get another starter, and Joba has shown that he can do it.

Excellent article, in todays game the setup man is as important as a closer and Joba could be the best.

60 innings of Joba instead of 200 innings of Joba. That sounds awesome. Wang should be the 7th inning guy, then if they get Sabathia he could be the 6th inning guy. The Yankees would have the last 4 innings of every game locked up. That's the secret to win #27!!!!! They should also take A-Rod and Posada out of the lineup so they only pinch hit in the last two innings. You know, because they'd be more effective if only for one or two innings.

Lets see, a year and a half in the majors with no saves, 5 wins, a DUI and a sore arm. Has anybody in the history of the game received so much hype without doing much of anything as Joba has? He is only one piece of the puzzle and, despite the intense hype and coddling, hasn't proven himself yet. Put him in the pen and when Mo is gone he can replace him or make him a starter so he can blow out his arm and we can forget about him and his overblown personna.

You want to waste a talent like Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen? C'mon. Relief pitchers are a dime a dozen and their quality changes from year to year. There is no rhyme or reason to building a bullpen. Joba Chamberlain is a no miss starter. Don't restrict him to one inning a day.

You still must remember that you need to replace Giambi and Abreau! And you would need two starters plus Petite to make this an option. The players are out there- but will the Yanks again be hated as the best team money can buy?

I want to thank Wallace Matthews for this article because I thought I was the only Yankee Fan that realized this fact... I have said over and over that the Yankees need to go back to the style of play that they did during the 1996 - 2000 seasons which made them a Dynasty... Not only did they shorten the game with the dominance of the set up and closer pitchers but they orchestrated runs like a machine... No first pitch swinging, they made the pitcher work and made them pitch/throw strikes... Todays Yankees, it appears when they are down, they panic and get unfocused and lose their patience at the plate... Just take the real of the games from 1996-2000 and review them in depth and get back to those fundamentals and dominance... You can no longer think that just because you are Yankees, when you step on the field the other team is going to fold... You have to earn that fear factor again...

if you truly believe this, i would like to know how you have a job?

I mean seriously, do we forget Joba actually did BETTER as a starter than a reliever?
With the 8th and 9th locked down, I'd like to know how you all expect to get there in the first place. Are we assuming 7 inning shutouts by the starters every game?

So, how many games did the Yankees lose after holding a lead in the 6th inning? Not many. They went 66-3 when they held a lead at the begining of the 6th inning. I'd say that's a short game. Their bullpen was just short of fantastic last season, even after Joba became a starter. Why not do just a little research for your column. I know it's harder to do than just spout off, but I'm assuming you got paid for this, somehow.

THANK YOU! I've been saying that Joba should serve as the setup man in preparation for being the closer in the future after Mariano retires. That's how we won in the 90s and it would work again if Steinbrenner trusted it. I disagree about Manny though. He would be a great addition to this Yankee team, with him batting behind Arod i think well see Arod have a great year like David Ortiz did a few years ago

By that logic not only should Johann Santana still be pitching out of the pen but the Red Sox should move Josh Beckett there as well.

I agree 110%!!!
I am a die hard yankee fan and I feel that they have gotten away from what they use to do and that is shorten the game. Although I do feel that Manny would be a plus but he is not top priorty. Pitching is top priority. We get the pitching in order within teh next two months we will be back for sure!!!!

well said