HE SAID: The Phil/Joba Rules

Pull out those "Joba Rules" t-shirts from your 2007 time capsules. Just when you thought the Yanks had pulled the training wheels off their young stud duo of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, you thought wrong.

As the Yankees season progresses, it looks more and more likely that the boys from the Bronx have postseason baseball in the future. The main factor in the improvement of the 2009 Yankees has been the improved depth, balance, and performance of their pitching staff. Despite spending over $240 M on their top two starters, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, two of the other main contributors to the staff's renaissance have been two homegrown Yankees making less than $1 M combined in 2009. Joba Chamberlain has made the full transfer from ace reliever to the #3 starter on the staff. In an interesting reversal of roles, Phil Hughes had gone from the Yanks top starting pitching prospect, to a Joba-esque, lights-out set up man currently on a run of 24 consecutive scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Ideally the two youngsters, who are each excelling in their present roles, would continue to do so through what hopes to be a lengthy October run. Unfortunately, this had been deemed impossible by an organizational edict limiting the workload of the young pitchers. Yankees executives have stated that they will only allow their two prized pitchers to increase their innings by no more than 50 per season, in an attempt to avoid arm injuries in their future. This is based on an unconfirmed theory that some prized young pitchers who have acquired arm injuries in the past, did so because of overwork in their early years in the league. Yankees brass are scared to death of this prospect, and have decided they are willing to sacrifice present on-field production for the future.

Those lovable Joba Rules from 2007, may not be so cute when the Yankees are forced to remove a main cog from their rotation in the middle of the pennant race.

Some quick math can show us when this problem will reach its melting point. Chamberlain pitched about 100 innings last season, meaning the Yankees are hoping to cap him at 150 or so. He is currently at 102 innings for this season. Assuming he averages 6 innings pitch a start, Joba would only have 8 more starts left before he would have to be shut down. That would happen sometime in early September. Assuming they want to save some of those innings for the stretch run/playoffs in the bullpen, they would have to pull him out of the rotation in 3-4 weeks. Again, right in the middle of the pennant race.

Hughes' has a different issue. The Yankees have plans to make Hughes a starter again for the 2010 season. If they want him to be without limitations, they actually need to get his innings up since he will only be able to add 50 to his 2009 total. Presently, Phil is at just 60 innings this season. Ideally, he would finish the season with more than 125 innings, so he can shoulder a starters workload in 2010 under the current Phil/Joba Rules. It is practically impossible for Hughes to attain this number in his present role as set up man to Mariano Rivera.

There are a number of options the Yanks have with regards to Hughes and Chamberlain this season. However, only three scenarios would get each of them up to an adequate number of innings that would allow them each to be full starters next season, while keeping them contributors to the '09 Yankees. The following are the options available to the Yankees under these rules:

Scenario #1
Option: Swap Roles in Mid-August
Pros: In terms of accruing the target innings under the Phil/Joba Rules, this would be the most logical course for the Yankees to take. Chamberlain's innings pace would slow, while Hughes' innings pace would increase. Also, both would remain contributors to the big league club for the rest of the season. Then next season, both would have the required innings to become full starting pitchers for New York.
Cons: This would completely mess up what's working for the Yankees right now. Chamberlain had been stellar recently as a starter, and Hughes has been utterly brilliant out of the pen, conjuring up images of the love child of '96 Rivera and '07 Chamberlain. This move would turn two pluses into two question marks. Also, the Yanks would likely have to "transition" Hughes into becoming a starter by stretching his arm out. They could either send him to the minors for a few weeks or do it in the majors a-la '08 Chamberlain. Either way, the rotation will suffer in the present tense.

Scenario #2
Option: Skip Some of Joba's Starts, Use Hughes Multiple Innings
Pros: By skipping Joba's spot in the rotation a few times during the rest of the year, the Yanks can keep him pitching as a starter (under his innings limit) into the '09 playoffs. He has shown that he can be successful with extra rest after a great performance coming out of the All-Star Break. As for Hughes, Girardi has already begun using Hughes multiple innings out of the pen, similar to Rivera in '96. If they can continue to do so, pitching him 2-3 innings per outing serving as a hybrid long man/set up man, Hughes can at least get to over 110 innings this year. This would mean that Hughes may be unavailable in some 8th inning setup situations, and the Yankees would need to either get Brian Bruney straightened out, or seek late inning relief help on the trade market.
Cons: Starters don't always react well to extra rest, and therefore skipping Joba could seriously affect his rhythm and subsequent performance on the field. Also, without an abundance of off-days, the Yanks would have to plug in a spot starter from time to time when Joba is being rested (potentially Alfredo Aceves or GASP! Kei Igawa). As for Hughes, if he remains in the bullpen, he's not going to get up to 125+ innings regardless of how they use him. Hughes is no longer available every night in the 8th inning when needed, as he will have to have a night off after longer outings. Sometimes, the Yanks will have to turn to someone else to be their ace setup man in front of Mo. This could cost them some games in the regular season, but is less of a problem in the playoffs when Hughes can return to his present role.

Scenario #3
Option: Fuck the Rules
Pros: The Yankees get to keep doing what they are doing with both Hughes and Chamberlain. Presumably, both of them will continue to excel in their roles, and the Yankees can cruise into the playoffs with two invaluable assets on their pitching staffs.
Cons: The organization looks deceitful for abandoning the Phil/Joba Rules. Since they had determined the limitations were necessary to avoid injuring their young pitchers, it looks like a greedy, reckless attempt to win a championship at the expense of two young players' careers. Back in 2007, the Yankees slowly bent the Joba Rules to win certain games, but not to the point where they were endangering the player. Should one or both develop arm injuries at a later date, the Yankees are blamed for their handling of them, similar to the way Lou Piniella is blamed for retarding the career of former Cubs ace Mark Prior.


The Verdict:
Here's the thing. The "innings" limit the Yankees are imposing on these two is one of the most illogical gauges a team can use. Innings pitched come in so many different forms. Some innings take 5 pitches, others take 30 pitches, some are in the flow of a start, others are adrenaline-charged bullpen innings, some are against good hitters, others are against bad hitters, ect. Simply put, innings do not quantify how much work/strain a pitcher has put on their arm in any given season. I implore the Yankees to either ditch these artificial limitations that could potentially affect their World Series prospects, or at the very least, come up with a more accurate measure of arm wear, and impose limitations with that.

In the end, I say Fuck the Rules (or "Option #3" to be put less coarsely). Let Chamberlain and Hughes keep doing what they're doing as long as the Yanks keep winning games. Just be logical with them, as you would any other pitcher. Don't let Joba throw 125 pitches in a start. Don't let Hughes throw 35 pitches on back-to-back nights. It's not rocket science. Both of these players are 23 years old, at least 6'3", and at least 230 lbs. They do not have to be treated like babies. These are powerful athletes with bright futures. Am I to believe that neither of them can get their bodies prepared in a four month offseason to be ready to be starting pitchers next year, regardless of their innings totals this season? What could be better for their development then having them win games in October for a World Series Champion?

Look, I appreciate the assets young arms are for an organization. But we're not talking about some ignominious Major League organization. This is the New York Yankees, where it's either win the World Series or deem your season a failure. The organization and its fans don't want it any other way. No young players' future development should hinder that pursuit. This is not the Washington Nationals praying at the altar of Stephen Strasburg. The worst case scenario is that either Hughes or Chamberlain would hurt themselves down the road. Even if that were to happen, who can definitively say that it was due to overuse in 2009? Injuries happen, and the Yankees should never mortgage their present in fear of the future. The Yankees are bigger than any one player, and will always have the assets to bring in new players.

So fuck the rules, keep the pitching mojo going, and we'll see you in October.