He’s Baaaaaaaaaack
Now that Joba is officially moving to the starting rotation, I decided to get this blog rolling again.
OK, not really. If anyone can tell me why I started this blog back up, you win a shiny new quarter.
The Joba switch is a hotly debated topic on sports radio. Should he or should he not be a starter? That is the question… Forget the Democratic primary race, the Joba debate is much more interesting.
My 2 cents. I like the idea. The Yankees need a power arm in their rotation. Rasner, Kennedy, Moose all throw basically the same stuff. A rotation that breaks up Wang, Pettite, Rasner and Moose will make it more effective. Wang (power sinker), Pettite (lefty), Rasner (control guy), Joba (power arm), Moose (control guy) is a nice balance.
As for the 7th - 8th inning I think the Yankees have guys that can get it done. Ohlendorf is better suited as a 1 inning guy and is being overused right now. Ramirez is a decent setup guy. Hawkins and Farnsworth, when used wisely, can contribute. The Yanks also has this kid Melancon at AA who scouts love and could be this years Joba. The major difference with Melancon is he has been groomed as a closer so there will not be any chatter of him ever becoming a starter. They also have a kid named JB Cox that could be a good setup guy too.
Whether you like it or not, the Yanks are developing talent. It is not always pretty but in the long run it pays major dividends. I am glad the organization is moving away from buying guys and is focusing more on developing talent, especially pitching talent. Guys like Horne, Betances, White, Nova, Wright, Marquez, Kontos, Dunn may not all be #1 starters one day but even if only 2 of these guys develop they could be just as good as a #1-2 starter and not cost 20 million a year.
Yanks throw Kennedy out their tonight and this is one Yankees fan that is rooting for him to go 6-7 strong.
