Question Marks
by John BWith six weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers…some questions remain:
The Rotation:
In my opinion, the first question surrounds Joba Chamberlain. Is Joba a reliever or a starter? Joba has starter stuff (5 pitches, two or more are devestating). He says he’ll do whatever the team asks of him, but in reality he WANTS to be a starter. If he didn’t have 5 pitches, I put him in the pen. But this guy has the potential to be a dominating starter for years to come. And the fact that he prefers being a starter would influence my decision. I guess health is the determining factor. Joba’s status and role impact whether an additional starter is necessary. If he’s in the pen or not healthy…then they need one more starter.
I’m not comfortable relying solely on Hughes and Joba as my 4th/5th starters. Neither has demonstrated that they can remain healthy. Especially with Burnett in the same rotation.
The Outfield:
Damon, Nady, Matsui, Swisher, Melky, Gardner…
That mix includes three left field options, two right field options, and four center field options. Options are great to have but this seems like a mess. So, will there be a regular outfield configuration? Damon is not a good option in center field. Swisher is not a good option in center field. Matsui is not a good option on any field. Melky is overrated. Gardner is a pinch runner.
1 comment January 05 2009 12:55 pm | John B | Discussion |
I worry about Joba staying healthy as a starter. With his intensity, he might not be able to throw 100 pitches per outing without getting hurt. He got hurt as a starter in the minors, didn’t get hurt as a reliever with the Yanks in 2007, got hurt as a starter in 2008, didn’t get hurt as a reliever in 2008 . . . I see a pattern developing.
The main reason why you can’t rely solely on Hughes and Joba as the 4th and 5th starters is because you can’t have two out of five starters with innings limitations.
Seeing how the outfield and the bench turn out will be interesting. Swisher blamed his awful season on the inconsistent way he was used. He might not be worth keeping around as a bench/platoon player. If Swisher is not the everyday right fielder then they need to trade him.