Joba the 'What' (Yet Again)?

By Scout Monkey, http://www.profantasybaseball.com/

New year, same argument. What is Joba Chamberlain? Is he a relief pitcher/future closer or a starter? This debate continues to rage in New York state (my current home) and around baseball.

The arguments for both sides are simple:

He's a reliever - His body of work as a reliever is stellar. He has shown to be one of the best setup men in baseball and should take over when Mo finally retires. His body of work as a starter is average, not bad, but not great. (Not that it matters, but I agree with this argument)

He's a starter - Why take a guy with this much talent and limit him to one inning? Relief pitchers are easier to come by then starters. He may not be the ace of the Yankees, but he doesn't have to be. He's a solid starter and with potential to get much better.

Regardless of how you or I feel, the problem is that this issue is not resolved, not even close. With Phil Hughes and Chad Gaudin still pitching for the Yanks, the question will linger for most of spring training, if not beyond. Your draft is probably coming up soon, and no one knows for sure what we are going to get with Joba - a starting pitcher for one of the best teams in baseball, or a reliever. Depending on your league, one of those could be good while the other a waste.

I say leave this headache for someone else. I'm not against gambling with picks, but this gamble doesn't make sense to me. Unless he is available very late, and you have a deep bench, avoid him. If he becomes a reliever (oh by the way, his first spring start was awful), he will have little value in most leagues. If he becomes a starter (best case scenario for fantasy) he has shown himself to be average. By average I mean, sporadic. He has had great outings (which is the potential that people keep talking about) but he has also had terrible outings. Put the good with the bad, and you get average. Why gamble on a pick to get an average player?

Again, unless he is there very late, avoid him. There are plenty of pitchers with upside that will start this year that should be picked instead of Joba.

Joba the 'What'? How about Joba the 'Not on Your Team'!

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

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