The Joba "Crisis" Is Over

For much of the spring, there was some panic spreading concern on the part of local media members such as George King about the velocity and mechanics of Joba Chamberlain. They felt that his decreased velocity and stilted mechanics were signs that suggested that he was still injured, and that he should be sent to the bullpen for health reasons as well as baseball reasons (the 8th inning is so important!!!). It seems that our national crisis is over, according to Tyler Kepner:

If anybody is worried about Joba Chamberlain’s velocity, don’t be. He is out after 5 1/3 innings here in Sarasota against the Reds, and he looked terrific. A scout I just talked to said he clocked Chamberlain as high as 96 miles an hour, and in the sixth inning he was throwing 93 to 94 m.p.h. “He was throwing very well,” the scout said.

93-96 is about where Joba’s fastball is going to be as a starter. As we get further into the season, you may see Joba’s velocity increase by a MPH or two, and he may be able to get up to 98 in big spots with his adrenaline flowing. The days of sitting at 98 are over, as a starter cannot survive 6-7 innings when putting that much behind every throw. As we all know, velocity is not the only factor in determining the success of a pitcher. With four major league quality pitches and solid control, Joba should be just fine without ratcheting up the velocity of his pitches to what it was in his relieving days.

Of course, you could look at yesterday’s performance like George King did:

If yesterday was the foundation, the Yankees can rest easily, because the velocity was up and the slider was unhittable. However, if yesterday was the ceiling, the Yankees and Chamberlain will be searching for answers to very hard questions despite the increased velocity.

Give it up, man. He is a starter, and there is no amount of rumor mongering that you can do to change that. If you can seriously suggest that a start in March is a pitcher’s ceiling, you need to find a new profession.

Related posts:

1. Two Most Important Things About Joba's Performance
2. Anonymous Scout: Joba =/= Beckett
3. What changed for Joba this season?
4. Joba Returns to the Pen
5. Carroll: Joba's A #3 Starter At Best