Start the Joba plan - next year

So the Yankees made it official after Wednesday night’s win over the Orioles. Joba Chamberlain went two innings. Afterwards, Yankees manager Joe Girardi made it official: Baby Boss Hank Steinbrenner gets his wish. The team will start stretching Joba out to enter the starting rotation.

I totally disagree with the move-THIS YEAR. When you have a guy who is one part of the best 8th-9th inning tandem in baseball (Joba and Mo Rivera) you don’t mess around with it. I’ve always been taught that if you’re REALLY good at something, stick with it. The thought of Kyle Farnsworth or LaTroy Hawkins coming in with a game on the line reinforces this idea, and I’m not a Yankees fan. Red Sox fans are rejoicing from Bangor to Boston.

Yes, Chamberlain wants to be a starter, and yes, the Yanks want him there long term. But why mess with a good thing NOW when it’s tough just to tread water around .500?

Another point: If this was 15-20 years ago, it might make more sense. Not now. Starting pitchers barely go 5-6 innings-and with the exception of Chieng-Ming Wang, that is true with the Yanks. What happens if Joba goes 6-7 innings with a lead. In comes Hawkins, Farnsworth or Ohlendorf? You just KNOW they’ll be a night where Girardi will start thinking “Damn, I want Joba in there.” Remember when Joe Torre used to swear that Mariano would never get a two inning save. Then came those big games-and there was Mo.

It will really be interesting to see how Girardi has Joba go through his “starter spring training” while still with the big club. That just proves my point: The Yanks: read Hank-I’m the Boss now and I’m STILL annoyed we didn’t get Santana-Steinbrenner wants his cake and to eat it too. Hey, for a while Joba can pitch the 7th-8th and 9th-giving Rivera a rest. Hank is meddling just like Old Man George. Hank, your manager was a big league catcher for a long time. He’ll tell you, and Ron Darling confirmed it when Santana beat the Mets last Saturday: Going from the rotation to the bullpen is a LOT easier than the other way around. During the season, no less? This is all Steinbrenner-esque. We say one thing (“The kids Hughes and Kennedy will be in the rotation, Joba in the pen for now.”) Then, panic after Hughes gets injured or more telling, Kennedy struggles. Result: Joba gets moved. Whoever said, “Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint”, failed to tell the Steinbrenner family. I guess Hank hasn’t seen Darrell Rasner pitch, or that like most young pitchers, Ian Kennedy must be given a chance to grow.

The Yanks say they have to build Chamberlain up to 100 pitches. HOW do you do that without hurting the rest of the team? We’ll see. But what’s more valuable-the Joba who throws once every 5 days or the Joba that can pitch better than any reliever you have outside of Rivera 3 or 4 out of 5 days?

I say to the Yanks: If you want to make the playoffs, keep Joba where he is-alongside Mariano. Structure his 2008 offseason program and 2009 spring training for his career as a starter. Plan your future staff accordingly. The Yankees made this bed. They should leave the mattress and sheets alone-for now. Ownership is panicking because they fear a season without a postseason, and want to see Joba Chamberlain be the righthanded version of Johan Santana. Remember when they missed out on Disasuke Matsuzaka? Kei Igawa came to the Bronx soon after. Joba won’t be a bust like Igawa. But this is the same type of reactionary move.