Written by Greg Fertel
|
29 July 2007
Michael Kay reports that Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees' top minor league pitching prospect, has been scratched from his start on Monday, and will be moved into the AAA bullpen.
This move means that he will be promoted to the bullpen in the Bronx soon (maybe as soon as August 1, after the trade deadline). No word on who will be promoted to take Joba's place in the Scranton rotation. I'm hoping it's Alan Horne, but it could be Clippard or Wright, who were recently demoted to make room for Chamberlain and Kennedy.
It's also possible that this move means that Farnsworth or another member of the Yankee bullpen are going to be traded, possibly for prospects or bench help.
I don't mind this move, as it will keep Joba's innings down for this season, as well as helping to fortify a major weakness in the major league team. I bet Joba will be great out of the bullpen in the majors, as his fastball-slider combo has the potential to dominate major league hitters. That said, one concern is that his changeup and curveball will not develop as a result of this move, but hopefully he'll keep working on them when he's not pitching. As long as Torre gives him regular work (a big if), this could not be terrible for Joba's development, and it should help the team out in a big way, as they might catch lightning in a bottle.
