***The Joba Watch***

[TonyStarks]

Thought I'd make a thread about Joba's progess and trek to make it to the Bronx this season.

Tonight Joba made his 2nd 8th inning Relief appearance and it was another success.

Before I post the article, I want to say that today Cashman was on Michael Kay's show and Kay asked Brian about Joba making to the Bronx this season.
Brian said that to get Joba to the Bronx was never the plan and the reason why Joba is pitching out of the pen is because the Yanks have place a innings limit on Joba for the year and he's already reached that limit.
They said they will continue to pitch Joba out of the pen to limit his innings and will take it from there. He said he would not say what Joba's innings limit is because he doesn't want that info public.

Well here is the article:

NEW YORK -- Part Two of the Joba Chamberlain Bullpen Experiment was by all accounts a resounding success.

The 21-year-old right-hander made his second appearance out of the bullpen last night, coming in the game for the Double-A Trenton Thunder in the eighth inning and retiring all three batters he faced at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton, N.Y.

Chamberlain got Jamar Hill swinging at a 98-mph fastball, J.E. Cruz swinging on an 87-mph slider, and then broke Miguel Negron's bat on a 97-mph fastball for a groundout.

The highly regarded prospect Chamberlain is still a starter in the Yankees' long-term plans, but is being looked at as a possible bullpen option for the big-league club in the immediate future.

"I have prepared myself and concerned myself with understanding the role when it comes and what it's going to take," Chamberlain said. "It is a huge mental adjustment. When I go up there, I just want to get outs, learn my role and contribute to the team."

Chamberlain was not demoted, but transferred from Scranton to Trenton after coming to New York yesterday to apply for a passport -- which he will need if he is called up for next week's series in Toronto.

Chamberlain said after the game that he would rejoin Triple-A Scranton today, but it's possible he could be with the Yankees as soon as this weekend.


Sooo....

1 Inning : 2K : 1 GO : 1 Broken Bat

Joba has K’d 5 in 2 IP since moving to the bullpen. It could be time to throw him to the lions and see just how for real his stuff is.

[ChrisLDuncan]

No...not as a reliever, as a starter. I just don't know who to bump for Joba.

[Yankeefan90]

It's best he becomes a reliever, cause if he constantly throws like that as a starter he'll blow out his arm one day. He's eerily similar to Farnsworth, 97-98mph fastball, and an 86-87mph slider. I hope he has more command then Farnsworth cause if he does then he'll be unhittable. But he might be just another guy who throws 100 mph fastball but can't spot it or he just doesn't have a deceptive slider. I'm hoping for a Joel Zumaya type pitcher from him, except w/o the injury.

[mikesty]

I'm hoping for a Joel Zumaya type pitcher from him, except w/o the injury.

[monkey333]

It's best he becomes a reliever, cause if he constantly throws like that as a starter he'll blow out his arm one day. He's eerily similar to Farnsworth, 97-98mph fastball, and an 86-87mph slider. I hope he has more command then Farnsworth cause if he does then he'll be unhittable. But he might be just another guy who throws 100 mph fastball but can't spot it or he just doesn't have a deceptive slider. I'm hoping for a Joel Zumaya type pitcher from him, except w/o the injury.

He has great stamina and pretty clean mechanics. His delivery doesn't require a ton of effort so it's not like he's laboring enough to kill his arm. He'll be a starter next year and rightfully so. And please never use Chamberlain and Farnsworth in the same sentence. Farns couldn't control the ball like Joba if his life depended on it.

[Mariano_Rivera]

It's best he becomes a reliever, cause if he constantly throws like that as a starter he'll blow out his arm one day. He's eerily similar to Farnsworth, 97-98mph fastball, and an 86-87mph slider. I hope he has more command then Farnsworth cause if he does then he'll be unhittable. But he might be just another guy who throws 100 mph fastball but can't spot it or he just doesn't have a deceptive slider. I'm hoping for a Joel Zumaya type pitcher from him, except w/o the injury.

Have you ever seen him pitch or even looked at his numbers?

Chamberlain has great control. He has a future as bright as Hughes. Plenty of starters have succesfully thrown 97-98. Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and Walter Johnson have all supposedly thrown close to 100 mph

[Mariano_Rivera]

He has great stamina and pretty clean mechanics. His delivery doesn't require a ton of effort so it's not like he's laboring enough to kill his arm. He'll be a starter next year and rightfully so. And please never use Chamberlain and Farnsworth in the same sentence. Farns couldn't control the ball like Joba if his life depended on it.

His slider is a ton better than Krazy Kyle Farnsworthless' to

[Doctor Zizmor]

I have a question for Cashman...why promote him to AAA if he reached his "predetermined number of innings pitched"? Why not leave him in Trenton to work out of the pen since it doesnt matter?

[TonyStarks]

I have a question for Cashman...why promote him to AAA if he reached his "predetermined number of innings pitched"? Why not leave him in Trenton to work out of the pen since it doesnt matter?

He had nothing left to prove @ AA and the Yanks had been toying with brining him up to be a late innings reliever.

[TonyStarks]

Dad of Yankees prospect worries about Joba's arm

With top prospect Joba Chamberlain in the process of becoming a reliever so he can join the Yankees' bullpen, you would expect nothing but excitement at the Chamberlain house in Lincoln, Neb.

And make no mistake, Harlan Chamberlain is happy for his 21-year-old son, whose name is pronounced JAH-bah. But Harlan was quick to admit in a telephone interview yesterday that he has some health concerns about Joba coming out of the bullpen at this stage of his career.

"Yeah, it's exciting, but I guess my concerns at this time are more for the safety of his arm and what this does to his arm," Harlan Chamberlain said. "So I kind of feel like the jury's out for me right now. His personal welfare from a parent's perspective overshadows the baseball perspective."

Chamberlain has been gifted with an incredible right arm; his fastball sometimes enters triple digits. He is in only his fourth season as a pitcher and just his first full season in a five-man rotation. Now, after starting the year in Class A, he's on the doorstep of becoming a vital member of the Yankees' beleaguered bullpen.

Speaking honestly, Harlan can't help but wonder if this is a good move for his son, from a health standpoint. When Joba called him with the news last weekend, Harlan's mind instantly ran in circles about what it means for his son's arm.

"Immediately, I thought down the road," he said. "I kind of looked at long-term gratification and success, instead of immediate return, immediate success, and all those thoughts went through my mind.

"They're going to take you out of your zone that you're in and put you in something that basically is real new to you. It's a whole different set of circumstances as to the recovery of your body, arm, what have you. I just finally came to the conclusion that his body can acclimate to the five-day rotation versus the seven-day he had in college."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Torre have vowed that if they do bring up Chamberlain as a reliever, they will take special care of him. And that makes sense, as he's a major future asset. He's right there with Phil Hughes atop the organization's pitching prospect depth chart.

Harlan also made his son promise to him that he would speak up the very second he feels a twinge of discomfort. "I stressed to him that he needs to be vocal about it from the very beginning and not to let it fester," Harlan said, "and he assured me he will do that."

Joba is a combined 9-2 with a 2.53 ERA for Class-A Tampa, Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. In his first relief outing Monday night, he struck out the side. As impressive as that was, Harlan correctly pointed out it was on regular rest. "It was just a short start," he said. "Each outing from here will be a barometer."

Joba also was sharp last night for Double-A Trenton in his second relief outing. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts at Binghamton. After that - who knows? - perhaps he heads to the major leagues.

A huge Yankees fan, Harlan can't wait to see his first game in the Bronx. He was still pumped about the surprise gift he received in the mail the other day - a baseball signed by Reggie Jackson with a personalized inscription that said, "Welcome to the family."

Harlan was touched by the gesture - "I feel like a true Yankee," he said - though his reservations about his son make it quite clear his family still ranks above the Yankee family.

"He's assured me that he can do it," Harlan said. "He takes good care of himself now. He's going to have to take even better care of himself, if that's possible."

[ChrisLDuncan]

It's not the Joba that I worry about it's the Joe

[Mike27]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08062007/sports/yankees/heres_joba__yankees_michael_morrissey______and_george_king.htm

Looks like he's here

I'm reading through a few things.... And I have no idea who was actually called up, Brower or Joba. Right now, I'm thinking it's Brower. Sorry about that.

[TonyStarks]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08062007...eorge_king.htm

Looks like he's here

I'm reading through a few things.... And I have no idea who was actually called up, Brower or Joba. Right now, I'm thinking it's Brower. Sorry about that.

This is strange.
I've read that Brower was called up.

But like I posted in the Farm thread, Joba was in NY last week getting a Passport for Toronto.

[TonyStarks]

Buster Olney...

Today was on the Brandon Teirney show said that the Yanks will call up Joba tomorrow to probably pitch the 6th or 7th.

[Mike27]

I can't wait to see how his pitches look tomorrow. Hopefully he doesn't get bombed, and kill his confidence right away.