The New York Yankees are making another run towards postseason glory but a series of rules on how to use their prized prospect threaten to not only drive a wedge between members of the team and management but also may derail their entire run if management doesn’t soon change their views.
When Joba Chamberlain arrived at the big league level amid much hype and fanfare, the biggest story was the “Joba Rules”, a set of guidelines developed by minor league pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras which were given to Joe Torre by management to ensure that Chamberlain would not be overused and possibly exposed to an injury that might jeopardize his future as a starter with the team as early as next season. At the time it seemed like a good move by management considering Torre’s penchant for overusing relievers (Scott Proctor anyone?) the last few seasons. While following these rules to the letter, Chamberlain has been able to live up to all the hype and even exceed it while posting an 0.42 ERA and 31 K’s in his first 21 innings, at times looking unhittable and leaving major league hitters baffled. Many would say that the call up of Chamberlain and the energy he created with his performance so far coincided with the tremendous run the Yankees have been on the last month while whittling the once almost unsurmountable looking Red Sox 14 and a 1/2 game lead down to less than 2 Games and the stabilty he has brought to the bullpen as a setup man (on days when he is available to pitch) is the biggest reason why Mariano Rivera looks rejuvenated after a first half in which he looked like he may be finally feeling his age. Now as the Yankees set off on their final road trip of the season and attempt to wrap up a postseason berth by surpassing the Red Sox for a division title or holding on to the wild card, the same “Rules” are causing some controversy as players wonder whether management is concerned enough about this season rather than the future, especially considering some of the biggest names on this team (A-Rod, Posada, Mussina, Clemens, Rivera, Abreu) may not be a part of that future after this season.
Yesterday when Mike Mussina called out management (Brian Cashman specifically) for not “tinkering” with the rules to let Chamberlain pitch for the Yankees whenever he was needed for the remainder of the regular season and possible playoff run the first thoughts of many were why mess with a good thing (and the second thought of many including Cashman and my first thought was Mussina should worry more about his own job and even making the postseason roster than what management does with Chamberlain) but after listening to his comments, it brought up an argument that I have been telling to anyone who would listen since Chamberlain arrived. Chamberlain is without a doubt a big time piece of the puzzle for the Yankees over the next 5-10 years if he stays healthy and the team should do everything they can to ensure he stays healthy while still growing as a player. Anyone who has seen him pitch so far knows he has great stuff, great presence and energy on the mound and most importantly has confidence in his ability (especially in pressure situations). The most important thing for a young pitcher is confidence. I think that the perfect way for the Yankees to not only help their team this season (by silencing the rumblings in the clubhouse and by shoring up their biggest weakness all at once) but also in the coming seasons is to move Joba into the starting rotation immediately. He was a starter in the minors and is projected as a stater for next season so the extra innings should have no adverse effect on his arm (i would even argue that relieving might be putting more stress on his arm even with the mandated rest) and if the management is concerned they could still keep their “Rules” by insisting he pitches no more than six innings in any start (as a starter he will be getting 5 days rest between starts which would be just like as if he pitched 1 inning in 5 seperate games under the current restrictions). Think about the Yankees trotting out Chien Ming Wang and Roger Clemens for the first two games of a playoff series then seeing the opponents shudder at the thought of facing Postseason warrior Andy Pettite and Joba in the next two games. I would be hard pressed to think of a stronger starting four in the majors come October.
Some might say that putting Chamberlain under that sort of microscope might hurt his confidence or retard his progress but my answer to that is that he is already under the biggest microscope in professional sports by pitching in the Bronx during a pennant race. I actually believe that by giving this already confident young man a chance to shine on the game’s biggest stage and during it’s biggest moment can only help his confidence and development the same way it did for the Anaheim Angels who had youngster John Lackey start game 7 of the World Series while eventually capturing the crown. Lackey did not have the fanfare of Joba but has taken off since that chance was afforded him and become one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last few seasons. I think this is the same kind of situation and I think it is the perfect opportunity for the Yankees to stop overthinking about the future (bad things happen when you overthink about the future…Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano because Kazmir projects for arm troubles in the future…I still don’t know how you project injuries???) and do what the Yankees have always done best, make a run at the title this year. I think by moving Joba to the rotation they not only give themselves the best chance at success this postseason (unless somebody out there tells me they feel more confident with Mussina towing the rubber than Joba) while still building for the future of the organization while announcing to the rest of baseball and to Joba himself, that the future of the Yankees franchise is now.
