Joba vs. Hughes – The Battle for #5
As the Super Bowl quickly comes and goes, Yankee fans are becoming more and more antsy for the baseball season to start. In my mind, we are officially in baseball season once the clock expires to end the Super Bowl. Whether it’s to crown the Saints or the Colts the champions of the NFL, the only thing resonating in my head is the sound of a baseball hitting the catchers mitt. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in 10 days! That’s right! Only 10 days left!
With the acquisition of Javier Vasquez in December of 2009, the Yankees have solidified their first 4 spots in the rotation. There are currently two pitchers on the Yankees duking it out for the coveted 5th spot in the rotation: Joba Chamberlain & Phil Hughes. If you were to poll 100 Yankee fans on who they think should win the fifth spot, 45 fans would pick Joba, while another 45 fans pick Hughes. The remaining 10 would not care if Joba or Hughes wins the spot. Early last week, I found myself having a conversation with a fellow Yankee fan, who you should all follow (@YanksFan5) about this exact question… who should be the #5 starter for the Yankees? After going back and forth with this fellow Yankee fan, we both came to the conclusion that Joba would be best fit to stay in the ‘pen while Hughes should take on the role as the #5 starter.
There are many reasons as to why I feel that Joba belongs in the bullpen. First off, he does not have a solid third pitch. When he starts he relies solely on a mediocre fastball which in turn makes his #2 pitch (slider) completely ineffective. When Joba comes out of the bullpen, he throws absolute gas. By throwing gas out of the ‘pen, he is able to keep his hitters off-balance, thus becoming a MUCH more effective pitcher. Take a look at last year for example. As a starter, Joba consistently threw the ball between 91-93 MPH, very rarely throwing any harder than that. As a reliever in the post-season, it was evident how much more effective he was. His fastball was clocked consistently throughout October/November at 96-98 MPH. The 5 MPH difference makes a HUGE difference. Sure he gave up a few runs, but hey, Joba is human after all.
Yankee fans have experienced the great potential Phil Hughes has as a starter. This was never more evident than that start in Texas where he there 7 no-hit innings before getting hurt. It appeared that after he healed from the injury that he wouldn’t be the same starter we saw that night in Texas. I don’t believe that for a second. Just like Joba, Hughes is human and will have bad, if not awful games at times. We can’t forget that going into this season, Hughes will be 23. You heard me right… he will turn 24 just before the All-Star break. Hughes has a much stronger arsenal of pitches than Joba, and if given the change to hone those pitches, he will be a huge threat out of the #5 spot in the rotation.
2010 Yankees Projected Rotation
What are your thoughts on the Yankees rotation going into the 2010 season? Who do you think should win the #5 spot? I would love to hear your feedback. Leave your thoughts below.
Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com
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