"Pay Joba no botha"

I've been writing about Joba Chamberlain over at BomberBanter.com, and I see I'm not the only one. If you wander around the Yankees Blog Universe, you'll see posts about him everywhere. I understand that Joel Sherman is reporting that Joba isn't the setup man anymore... did anybody hear Joe Girardi say this? I don't have a problem with the move, I just don't think it's official. I think Girardi just doesn't want to bring Joba into the game in the middle of an inning. David Robertson has been Girardi's fireman - always getting the call in the middle of an inning in a high pressure situation in tight games; I think right now, Joba starts innings, and isn't brought in to finish them. However, if he's been demoted, Joba deserves it. His 2010 numbers are atrocious. he gives up too many hits and walks, not to mention the runs. I think Joba can be a great pitcher, but I've always believed he's a starter - this doesn't have anything to do with why he's performing poorly this year (I think it's mechanical), but I don't think he's a career reliever, and the sooner they get him out of that role, the better.

As for tonight's game, the Yankees are facing a pitcher who's been called up from triple A for his first start - ever, I believe - so that means the Yankees have no chance of scoring any runs off him. Now if they get to face him again this year, they'll destroy him, but I think this is the last series with the Indians of the year. Anyway, it almost always seems to go this way in this situation. New pitcher, no hits - seen the pitcher before, and they hit him like he deserves to be hit. Go figure.

Guess Who's Back

Ok, so it's been to long since my last post. Big shit. God knows the Yankees have enough morons like myself covering even the most minute move like its going to cost the team the World Series in March. Oh no!!! They are keeping Marcus Thames and cut the juggernaut that is Jamie Hoffman!!

I weigh in when my opinion is needed - nee - DEMANDED.

The fifth starter derby (which we all knew was a two-horse race from the beginning) has finaly come to a close, with Phil Hughes being officially named to the final spot. This leaves Joba Chamberlain in the wind, seemingly banished to the bulpen. I have never been a "Joba to the bullpen" guy and still believe that he has a real future as a starter. Young, live armed pitchers with three plus pitches, by definition, are starters, and don't let any asshole tell you differently. Unfortunately, the Yankees do not have the luxury of letting two young starters develop by getting their asses handed to them over a full season. They are expected, if not demanded, to win year in and year out so there really is only one slot to play with when the goal is a championship. Not to mention Joe Girardi is in a contract year, and nobody gives a fuck about the title he won in 2009.The pitcher that showed the most in Spring Training was going to win this job, and Hughes put up better numbers while showing real promise with a changeup.

So what now for Joba? Is he the heir apparent to Mo, if he ever retires? In my mind, Joba is a starter. Again, 23 year olds with 3 major league pitches don't just grow on trees. There is a reason why A.J. Burnett, a possible #2 starter with horrific inconsistency makes more than Mo, the greatest closer ever to walk the earth. Starting pitchers a fucking impossible to find. The Yankees have two choices - either send Joba to AAA to start and let him fill the hole left by Andy Pettitte or Javy Vasquez in 2011, or package him in a trade while he still has value. "But Jimmy, Joba should be setting up for Mo!!1!11!!!!". Shut the fuck up. I will take my chances with Robertson/Marte/Aceves/Melancon in the late innings and groom a kid that still has at least #2 starter upside. That being said, I am a huge Hughes fan, and I look forward to watching him throw every fifth day. Until Chamberlain came out firing bulletts in 2007, Hughes was a MUCH bigger prospect. Top flight stuff, and a pro attitude. In the end, this really won't matter as much as people are makiong it seem. It's the fifth starter. The other four days of the week, the Yankees are trotting out potential All Stars, and no matter how bad Hughes is, the Yankees' refuckingdiculous offense will carry him to 12-15 wins. Just another storyline as the Yankees march to #28.

Take one

Today, the debate officially begins. In the third Spring Training game of the year, both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes will take a turn on the mound to begin what will undoubtedly be the most covered (and annoying) story of March. I need that remote from that shitty Adam Sandler movie so I can fast forward to April 4th.

Joba to Mike Francesa, others: "Suck it"

Joba Chamberlains numbers since the All Star break:

21 2/3 IP, 0.83 ERA, 19 K, 8 H, 8 BB

Two words. Starting. Pitcher.
Once again, I reiterate: Pitchers that have command of 3+ pitches that have the ability to throw 5-6 innings are, by definition, starting pitchers. Phil Hughes is proving that good pitchers get outs whenever they toe the rubber. Though it has taken a little time for Joba to get his sea legs (he is 23 years old, by the way), another lights-out start last night proves that the Yankees have placed him in the role that allows them to get the most value out of his talent.

Celebration - come together in every nation

With all of the talk of Roy Halladay making all of my felow bloggers go apeshit, I wanted to take the time to weigh in with my opinion. The official stance of The Fowl Balls is as follows:

GET. ROY. HALLADAY.

In my mind, a package including Joba Chamberlain, Jesus Montero, Austin Jackson, and a fourth, non-Phil Hughes prospect is more than fair.

Chamberlain, though loaded with potential, has shown inconsistency throughout his tenure as a starter. I do realize full well that he is only 23 years old, but we are not talking about moving him for Brett Myers here - this is Roy Halladay we are talking about. One of the three best pitchers in the game of baseball.

I may be a little late to the party on this one but moving Jesus Montero, though it will drive the prospect junkies crazy, could be a God send. As friend of The Balls Mike Ashmore wrote over at Thunder Thoughts, Montero will more than likely end up a man without a position when he is ready for the big leagues. His catching is horrific, and the Yankees seem to have first base locked up for the next eight years. Add in the fact that Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and even Teixeira himself will all need reps at DH by that time, and Montero's future in pinstripes looks even more bleak.

Austin Jackson is the epitome of the over-hyped Yankee prospect. Though he is hitting well over .300 at AAA, he has struck out at an alarming rate with little-to-no power.

As for the rest of the prospects in the system, take your pick. Zack MacAllister, Dellin Bettances, PTBNL, whoever.

My reasoning can be illustrated in a simple mathematical equation:

Halladay, Sabathia, Burnett > Beckett, Lester, Wakefield (or Bucholz, or Penny, or Smoltz, or Luis fucking Tiant)

The Yankees seem to be competing with one team and one team only, and the acquisition of Roy Halladay could be the defining factor over the next season and a half. As a Yankee fan, I would trade three Joba Cy Youngs and a Montero MVP for two straight rings.

The Balls has spoken.

Can you hear that?

That roaring sound you hear is the Joba-to-the-bullpen bandwagon gaining steam. Although the bullpen and offense saved him from the loss, Joba Chamberlain was ugly to watch yesterday.

Chamberlain's fastball was reaching 92 as he was smacked around Yankee Stadium by the Blue Jays on Sunday to the tune of nine hits over 3.2 innings. It is rumored that Mike Francesa was so excited to see this that he choked on the arm of the child he was eating.

Unfortunately for Francesa and his constituents, the Yankees now have bigger fish to fry in regards to the starting rotation. Chien Ming Wang was placed on the DL this weekend, apparently with a genuine injury - unlike his last DL stint, which was purely for sucking donkey anus. The Yankees must find a replacement in the rotation for the duration of his stay on the DL, which will presumably mute the Joba-as-a-setup-man contingent for a while.

Although I see it clear that Chamberlain should be in the rotation, the fact that he has struggled cannot be ignored. His consistent failure to put away hitters, especially yesterday, has been unbelievably frustrating to watch. Growing pains are expected and tolerated in other cities, but this isn't one of them. Maybe skipping him a start before the All Star break could help Joba regroup, but only time will tell if the loss of Wang prevents that from happenning.

Just a reminder: even though the uneducated fan continues to scream from the mountain tops that Joba should be setting up for Mo, it seems as though the Yankees are 15 games over .500, and just a game back of the Red Sox.

Back to the 8th inning!!!11!!!!!1!!!

8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5-2 K-BB in dominant win over Cleveland

Hey, Aubrey

It's coming

Leave This Poor Man Alone

According to the horrifically depleted nj.com, a man named Ryan Ward has been brought up on charges for impersonating Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain. He's charged with scamming a Belmar bagel shop out of free food last summer after allegedly telling an employee, "Do you know who I am?" and pointing to a photo of Chamberlain in a newspaper sports section. To me, this is an outrage. Close your eyes and imagine you are Joba Chamberlain. Pretty cool, right? You are the toast of New York, with an infectious personality and a right arm worth millions. Keep your eyes closed. Now imagine you are Joba without all of those things. Would that make you happy? Could you imagine living life as a fat asshole that has to act like someone famous to get some AquaNet laden girl to talk to him in the armpit of New Jersey? Yeah, things would be different then, wouldn't they. So, I ask the court, give Ryan Ward a break. True he did get a free bagel, but at the game of life he still loses.

?

As first reported by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, the Yankees signed AJ Burnett to a five year, $82.5 million contract. Color us baffled. Making a five year commetment to a 32 year old pitcher who has made 30+ starts two twice in his career (once in a contract year) is an overextension. We would have been happier with the lesser of two evils; giving a four year deal to the older, yet much more predictable Derek Lowe. As of this moment on December 15th, the Yankees rotation looks like this:

1 - Sabathia
2 - Wang
3 - Chamberlain
4 - Burnett
5 - Aceves/Hughes/Kennedy/Ponson/Kameneicki/Militello

It looks as though the Yankees are convinced that Andy Pettitte will accept the $10 million offer that they have put before him, but as we have found out in the past nothing is a lock.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3765754

What about Joba?

As part of Bill James' second release of the "Young Talent Inventory", he lists the top 25 young players in major league baseball. The following list has earned him the James Moxon Award for the Goddamned Dumbest Smart Kid We Know:

1. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman, age 24
2. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins shortstop, age 24
3. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants pitcher, age 24
4. David Wright, New York Mets third baseman, age 25
5. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers left fielder, age 24
6. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox second baseman, age 24
7. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder, age 23
8. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels pitcher, age 26
9. Jose Reyes, New York Mets shortstop, age 25
10. Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles right fielder, age 24
11. Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals pitcher, age 24
12. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals third baseman, age 23
13. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, age 24
14. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies shortstop, age 23
15. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners pitcher, age 22
16. Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox pitcher, age 24
17. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman, age 22
18. John Danks, Chicago White Sox pitcher, age 23
19. Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres first baseman, age 26
20. James Loney, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, age 24
21. Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop, age 25
22. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves catcher, age 24
23. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers first baseman, age 25
24. Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians center fielder, age 25
25. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds first baseman, age 24

Though this list seems to be composed of players well deserved of this distinction, I must say that the inclusion of Matt Kemp, John Danks, and Joey Votto, while omitting of one Joba Chamberlain is diplorable.

Also of note concerning the list, it should be pointed out that of the twenty-five players listed, exactly twenty- five are older than Phil Hughes. It is for this reason that articles like this one, ttp://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/sports/yankees/yanks_decision_looking_bad_135306.htm, by supposed Yankee insider Joel Sherman make me want to bludgeon a kitten. The fact that this man makes a living evaluating talent for a (relatively) major newspaper is ridulous. We here at The Fowl Balls once again support keeping Phil Hughes, and allowing him to undergo his caterpillar-to-butterfly-like transformation in pinstripes. On the other hand, we implore the Yankees front office to do whatever it takes to rid the team of the unfounded, self-important, douchy smirk of Ian Kennedy.