Hank Steinbrenner is has pressed the "panic" button.
He wants Joba Chamberlain to move into the starting rotation.
“I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him."
(when did he say that? Can some one send me the exact quote, please.)
"That is what we are working toward and we need him there now. There is no question about it, you don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”
Steinbrenner said the Yankees were working on easing Chamberlain into the rotation, but he would not be specific on a timetable. The Yankees’ brain trust had wanted to limit Chamberlain’s innings by having him spend at least part of the season in the bullpen.
How soon we forget....
"The mistake was already made last year switching him to the bullpen out of panic or whatever,” Steinbrenner said. “I had no say in it last year and I wouldn’t have allowed it. That was done last year, so now we have to catch up. It has to be done on a schedule so we don’t rush him.”
Note to Hank: If Joba was not added to the pen last summer, the Yanks would have played their last game October 1st. He saved their hide!
I can't wait to see Hawkins and Farnsworth serving up meatballs in the 8th.It sounds like a good way to limit Rivera's innings by limiting save situations.
Did Hank think of that?
Who leaves the rotation when Joba is added to it?
He can't send Hughes or Kennedy to AAA without hearing about how he wouldn't send them the Twinkies for Santana and Mussina (Mr. Regimen) is too much of a head case to work out of the pen.
WARNING: DISASTER AHEAD
4 comments:
Your comment about limiting Mo's innings by reducing save opportunities also applies to Joba - if the starters fail to keep the Yanks in the game, why bring him in in the 8th (or 7th)?
Joba (and the Yanks) deserves the opportunity to see if he can be an effective starter, and Cashman has a plan for that. The fact that Hank doesn't have any patience doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't.
Ron,
Have you seen what Traber, Hawkins, Bruney and Farnsworth have done so far?
Last night Rivera had to come in to get out of the 8th.
I was being sarcastic about Rivera's innings.
There are more and better options at this point to help the rotation.
There are no options for the 7th & 8th.
Starting Chamberlain for 6 or 7 innings then turning it over to Traber, Hawkins, Bruney and Farnsworth will fail.
THANKS FOR READING NEW YORK YANKEES UPDATE!
There are PLENTY of options for the 7th & 8th, they just aren't currently available. Melancon, Cox, Sanchez, & Whalen all could fill that role later this season, just as Joba is moving to the rotation.
All the people in the know say that Joba has the potential to be a top of the rotation guy. The Yankees would be crazy not to see if he can fulfill that potential.
Also, if relieving is more important than starting, why don't the Tigers make Verlander a closer? Todd Jones sucks. And the Indians would be wise to have Sabathia close too, since Wickman also blows.
If you remember, the Mariano started for the Yanks in 1995, and wasn't very good, so they moved him to the pen, where he flourished. If Joba doesn't cut it as a starter, then the pen is certainly an option. But you at least have to give him a shot as a starter.
If none of the above makes sense to you, consider this. By advocating that Joba stay in the pen, you are coming down on the same side of a baseball argument as Chris Russo. Ouch!
If you are comfortable running out there 4 unproven relievers, so be it.
When do you plan on sending Joba to the minors to convert back to a starter? You just can't give him the ball and say "go give me 7".
I never said relieving is more important than starting. What I'm saying is that I feel the best set up for the Yanks is the one they are using now.
As for Melancon, Cox, Sanchez, & Whalen I'll take any of them to replace Hawkins.
I hate agreeing with Russo, but I owe him one...Thanks him and his football picks, I won that mustang in the background from WFAN.
Post a Comment