I suspect that most Yankee fans have never heard of Peter Abraham (I hope I'm wrong). But Abraham, who covers the Yankees for the Lower Hudson Journal News and also writes frequently for their web site, has become my go-to guy for breaking Yankee news. Case in point: Tonight Joba Chamberlain pitched two innings and Girardi said after the game it's just the first step toward getting Chamberlain into the rotation. And Abraham's all over it:
If you were paying attention, you knew something was up when the Yankees promoted J.B. Cox to Scranton and Mark Melancon to Trenton last week.
Now it has been confirmed, Joba Chamberlain has started the process to become a starter according to Joe Girardi.
In truth, it started in spring training when Chamberlain was used as a starter. They kept him in the bullpen this long to control his innings. Chamberlain will now be used for multiple innings to get stretched out. It sounds like most of that work will be done in the majors.
Once the transition is made, Joba will finish out the season as a starter, get to around 150 innings and be ready to go 180-185 innings in 2009.
This issue has (and will be) debated endlessly. But to me it's simple: You don't waste an arm like his in the eighth inning. You just don't. Chamberlain can be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, he's that good. A No. 1 or No. 2 starter is twice as valuable as a set-up man.
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I'm not sure if Abraham is exactly correct, and of course everything depends on how good the No. 1 (or No. 2) starter is, and how good the set-up man is. Chamberlain's been a fantastic set-up man, so to justify this shift in the long term he's got to be a durable, better-than-average starter. But yes, if the Yankees believe he can do that, they should find out for sure.
So who takes Chamberlain's place in the bullpen after he makes the switch? Abraham, in a different post, is
on top of that one, too …
Joe Girardi will say what he has to say, which is that the job will go to Kyle Farnsworth.
But that is hardly carved in stone. The idea that the eighth inning has to belong to one pitcher is ridiculous. The best way to approach the eighth inning (or the seventh inning, for that matter) is by matching up.
Edwar Ramirez has limitations. But he can be effective against lefties with his changeup. Farnsworth can be effective in doses. But you have to be careful about using him on consecutive days. I also think Ross Ohlendorf can be used in the late innings. He has been largely miscast as a long reliever this season. His power sinker can get a groundball in a big spot.
The name to remember is Mark Melancon. The player-development staff loves him and everybody who has dealt with him believes he can succeed in a late-inning role. He's in Trenton now and I suspect he will be in Scranton by the All-Star break.
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Melancon was just a ninth-round draft choice in 2006, pitched in only eight innings (in Class A) that summer, and missed all of 2007 after
Tommy John surgery. But the Yankees thought so highly of him that they gave him $600,000 to sign (which I'm guessing is a record for a ninth-round pick). Apparently he's got two good pitches, a low-90s fastball and a power curveball.
It's not easy to imagine a guy who entered this season with eight professional innings playing a significant role on baseball's biggest stage. But I suppose stranger things have happened. And especially with relievers. Is it really so hard to come up with a pitcher who's good enough to get three outs in one inning two or three times per week? If Chamberlain takes
Darrell Rasner's spot in the rotation -- though
Ian Kennedy seems more likely to lose his job -- why not give Rasner a shot? Or
Chris Britton, who's been so good in limited action with the Yankees this spring? Or
Alan Horne? Sure, he's a solid starting prospect in Scranton, but Chamberlain was a starter in the minors, too. He worked out OK in the bullpen for a while.
Point being, among all the problems that a team must solve over the course of the season, finding a guy to pitch the eighth inning is pretty far down the list. And that's particularly true in the Yankees' case.
Rob Neyer
