HANK Steinbrenner knows what he wants and knows what’s best for the Yankees.
That’s to get Joba Chamberlain out of the bullpen and into the starting rotation as quickly as possible. He’s 100 percent correct about that. But Steinbrenner also knows the Yankees have to be careful how they play their Joba hand.
“There is no time frame, we can’t rush him back to the rotation, he has to be stretched out, you can’t just flip the switch and make him a starter,” Steinbrenner said yesterday from Tampa. “We’re going to play it by ear.”
Steinbrenner said the Yankees’ brass is on board with the decision; it’s not just his opinion, but the opinion of all the decision makers, including GM Brian Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland.
“I don’t think that was made clear,” Steinbrenner said of a published report that appeared yesterday. “We’re all on board with this. This isn’t just me.”
When Chamberlain, 22, is ready to go back to being a starting pitcher, Girardi has plenty of options, including a six-man rotation to lessen the strain on the young arms of Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, 21, and Ian Kennedy, 23.
Joba’s development was set back when the Yankees converted him to a reliever last year, Steinbrenner said. “But I wasn’t around then,” he added. He said he understands that decision enabled the Yankees to make the playoffs, but countered that if the plan is getting Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy rolling in the rotation as quickly as possible, the Yankees need to stick to the plan.
Steinbrenner made it clear Chamberlain best suits the Yankees as a starter and every effort will be made to get Chamberlain to that point as quickly as possible, but it could take a while.
He sees Chamberlain as the Yankees’ Josh Beckett.
“I saw what Beckett did to us as a young pitcher,” he said, referring to Beckett’s dominance of the Yankees in the 2003 World Series, when Beckett pitched the Marlins to the world championship, posting a 1.10 ERA over 161/3 innings at the age of 23. “I’d rather have Joba be a Beckett-type than have him in the bullpen. We already have Mariano (Rivera) as the closer.”
If there were no Mo, then Joba making a Jonathan Papelbon-like conversion makes sense, but having Joba holding down a starting spot and being a potential ace is much more important than being a setup man.
Steinbrenner wanted the Yankees to make the deal for Johan Santana, but once that ship sailed he got on board with the youth plan. That’s why he wants to see Chamberlain in the rotation as quickly as possible. There will be growing pains.
As for the Yankees’ 10-10 start, Steinbrenner said: “I’m not worried, it’s early. A lot of the favorites aren’t doing that well right now. We’re going to be fine.”
It all starts with pitching.
“Very simply,” Steinbrenner said in almost Yogi Berra-like fashion, “pitching is 70 percent of the game, and starting pitching is 70 percent of pitching.”
Hank’s calculations are correct. That’s why the Yankees have to be 100 percent committed to getting Joba in the starting rotation ASAP.