TAMPA — A bigger Joba Chamberlain is not worried about a smaller role on the Yankees.
The 25-year-old pitcher showed up at the team’s minor-league complex yesterday to prepare for the 2011 season. The Yankees’ failure to sign Cliff Lee this winter and the retirement of Andy Pettitte has re-ignited the debate of whether Chamberlain would be more valuable as a starter or reliever.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has stated repeatedly that Chamberlain will stay in the bullpen, but that has not quieted the conversation among fans.
“I don’t know if that debate is ever going to stop,” Chamberlain said. “I knew it was coming, especially with us not signing [Lee and Pettitte]. I guess you take it with a grain of salt. That’s all you can do. [Cashman] said what he said and that’s his opinion and he’s a big part of our organization. I’ve got to take my role and embrace it and try to be the best I can to help us win another championship.”
Chamberlain appeared to be about 10-15 pounds heavier than last season. That is going to cause alarms to go off in the Yankees universe, but Chamberlain said he feels as if he’s in shape. He even built a gym at his home in Nebraska.
“I actually feel better,” said Chamberlain, who said he did not know his weight. “My weight feels stronger. I feel great.”
Last year, Chamberlain entered spring training fighting for the No. 5 starter’s job that his buddy Phil Hughes eventually won. This year, Chamberlain knows his role is to be ready “from the sixth inning on,” he said.
Chamberlain spent the winter in Nebraska with his 4-year-old son Karter, and said he did his best to avoid sports shows on TV, watching cartoons instead. Even with his media blackout, Chamberlain knew when Lee signed with the Phillies and Pettitte opted to head home, his name would be mentioned as a starting solution.
When asked whether he still hopes to be a starter, Chamberlain did not answer the question.
“I worry about whatever today is,” he said. “I worry about getting through today. If that comes up in the future, then we’ll answer that question. As of right now, you can’t think about it.”
Last year had long stretches of success for Chamberlain overshadowed by monumental meltdowns. He lost the eighth-inning job midway through the season when the Yankees traded for Kerry Wood. Last month, the Yankees signed Rafael Soriano to be Mariano Rivera’s main setup man, pushing Chamberlain down the ladder in the ‘pen. The expectations he raised with his memorable arrival in 2007 have decreased each year.
Still, Chamberlain feels he learned a lot last year.
“Just to continue to pitch off your fastball,” he said when asked the main lesson. “Sometimes when your other stuff is good, you kind of fall in love with it. You have to understand that a located fastball is still probably the best pitch in baseball. If you can continue to pitch off that, it’s going to keep your pitch count down and continue to get you ground balls.”