Joba Chamberlain didn’t win the starting job this year.  Its seems, from this Pat Borzi post, that there is some chance he might get a shot next year- but that is more waffling.  Why so much back and forth on this one player?

Here is my theory, and of course it is just a theory. Many players are drafted and then spend time learning their craft in the minor leagues. They come up slowly, are tested in many different positions until it is determined where their best role lies.  Their point of view matters little, unless their success somehow gets tied to their position.

None of that happened for Joba.  He made his debut weeks after he was drafted.  He was supposed to be the next great thing.  The Yankees, I think, know where they want him.  They know where they believe he is best suited.  But because of all of the hype, and because he believes he has a passion for starting, and because they have spend so much time telling him that his opinion matters, they can’t change gears now.  Not on the big stage.

It also seems that sending Joba down to the minors to actually learn how to pitch as a starter is something the organization is concerned about.  He certainly can help the big club with what he has, just not in the role he most wants.  These things are often worked out as a player develops, but remember, we have been watching the Joba development plan on the big league level.  Remember he might have been wearing a major league uniform but he was still being treated like a minor-leaguer.   The Joba Rules were intended to make his career parallel to any other minor leaguer, just to help the big league club at the same time.

The thing to remember is that the organization has to think about what is best for the organization and the Yankees are pretty good at making a long-term plan for the club.  Mariano Rivera will not be playing forever, and a 5th starter will be easier to come by than an affordable replacement for Rivera. (I know the Yankees don’t often care about affordable, but they do care about paying for quality and not over-paying for mediocrity.)

Lets be clear. Joe Girardi keeps pointing out that Joba has to earn whatever job he is given.  That is being said for more than one reason I suspect.  Girardi seems to be managing Joba’s expectations, and he seems to be managing ours.  As fans, a guy who arrives on the scene as quickly as Chamberlain did sends us a lot of messages about his value and his skill.  Some of that clearly was merited, but not all of it.  His struggles have shown that.

And I am guessing that though Joba has been treated very much like a minor-leaguer might in terms of his arm development, he hasn’t gotten the message yet that they the club determines your role. The team wants him to still feel he has a shot, but that he needs to fight to get the role he wants.  Perhaps they think he has motivation problems- something not getting to the big leagues for a while fixes but didn’t happen here.  Perhaps they club just wants to spend this year showing him that he has more value in closing, both for himself and for the team.

One thing is for sure.  The back and forth that is going on for Joba Chamberlain by the Yankees is not for our benefit.  It must be something the organization thinks the player needs in order to pitch in the way that will benefit the organization most. Billy Epler, and perhaps the rest of the front office, know where they want Chamberlain to be next year and in all the years to come.  But as Cashman points out, those are just opinions.  The only one who really controls the situation is Chamberlain.  And perhaps, if he wants to be a starter that much, then perhaps he can learn exactly what he needs to in order to change the organizations opinion.

For now, don’t expect the waffling to stop. Its gives reporters a reason to show up to ask questions.  It fills newsprint.  We don’t have to debate the rules anymore.  Now we just have to watch what Joba can do.  And so can he.