Tim Marchman and Chamberlain points

Although Chamberlain has yet to make it through one entire MLB season, which must include 3 levels of post season play, logical points exist as to how the team should use him. Tim Marchman thinks he should remain a starter noting that starters cost more. He addresses the main

• arguments, one being that as a reliever Chamberlain gives the Yankees
• "their best chance of winning this year" (due to lack of reliable late inning relief leading to Rivera).

He doesn't say what should be done about that weakness, just that as a starter he trusts Chamberlain and his health more than that of Wang, Hughes, or Burnett.

• Mr. Marchman offers interesting stats but they all seem to be regular season stats. The idea of "winning this year" I take to mean winning the World Series, not just a 162 game season.

The team needs a pitcher-whether starter or reliever-who'll contribute substantially in both regular and post season. That's the only context in which Chamberlain's extrapolated stats should be compared to Rivera's, ie either combine regular and post season efficiencies, or address post season along with regular. Once Joba makes it through an entire combined regular and post season, comparisons will be more meaningful. For example, in 1996 Rivera pitched 3 days in a row in the World Series as a late inning reliever, and 4 out of 6 games. At the conclusion of that season, the Yankees had an idea what they had.

• In noting money has much to do with it, Mr. Marchman references what Rivera is currently being paid and why. That money came about because of his ability to give the team what it needed in regular season pennant races on through post seasons-one year lasting until November 4th bringing to
• 96.2 Rivera's IP for that year according to Baseball-Reference.

From Marchman's SI.com article: "Mariano Rivera is the best reliever in baseball history, and the best paid. He earns $15 million each year, which would make him the ninth-highest paid starter in the game. Brad Lidge, at $12 million, is the only other reliever who would rate among the top 15 highest-paid starters. He earns as much as Bronson Arroyo, whose main virtues are that he pitches a lot and plays guitar.

• Perhaps relievers are radically underpaid. It seems more likely that general managers have a good line on the value of short relief, and that they think it's worth a lot less than starting pitching. This makes sense, and should tell us something. Paychecks don't lie.

For this reason alone, I've never much understood why there was a controversy over whether the Yankees' Joba Chamberlain should be a starter or a reliever."...

• Either way, I hope Chamberlain has a long and successful career. For it to be so with the Yankees, it must include durability throughout numerous regular and post seasons.

Reference, SI.com Vault article by Tim Marchman, 6/4/09, "Starter or reliever? When it comes to Joba, the choice is simple."

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