The Joba Impact

Another FOTB, author Bryan Jones, was kind enough to forward me this article written by Dave Fleming from BillJamesOnline (link forthcoming, subscription required). The article postulates that the 2009 year for Joba will be significant in the determining the Yanks long term organizational strategy. It also dovetails nicely with the "debate" discussed yesterday.

In 2008 Chamberlain was again in the bullpen. It makes sense: why would anyone give the ball to a twenty-two year old who averages 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings, when you have the likes of Sydney Ponson and Darrell Rasner begging for starts.
[...]
Joba Chamberlain is a barometer for where the Yankees are going. If the Yankees give him a chance; if they endure the inevitable bumps on the road, then they will be a very good team over the next decade. If the Yankees are really smart, they will extend the same chance to Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, and even Alfredo Aceves.

But if they submit again to the ‘win-now’ pressures of the last thirty years, they will deny Chamberlain the chance to be great, they will handicap their franchise against teams like Tampa Bay and Boston and Toronto, and they will rob the rest of us the pleasure of watching a great career unfold.

I think this is pretty fair and reasonable.