Posada Thinks Joba Should Stay in the Bullpen

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Joba Chamberlain

The Great Joba Debate rages on! Today, Jorge Posada tossed his two cents into the pile offering advice for how Joba Chamberlain should be used. From Ed Price of the Star-Ledger:

At a taping of the YES show "CenterStage" Monday, Jorge Posada said Joba Chamberlain should be a reliever.

"Leave him in the bullpen," Posada said. "You start him and he pitches 200 innings, he won't be able to.

"You're going to lose him. He's going to get hurt. I don't see him as a starter."

In case you forgot, Posada isn't the only Yankee who feels this way; Johnny Damon said the same thing back in June, though instead of questioning Joba's durability he praised his ability to shorten the game. So far the suggestions are falling on deaf ears: the management, from Joe Girardi to Brian Cashman all the way up the Hank Steinbrenner, remains committed to developing Joba into an ace starter.

Of course, at the going rate it may take several years before Joba actually opens the season in the rotation and stays there all year. He's expected to open 2009 in the bullpen after failing to come close to his innings limit this year, so even in a best-case scenario we'll be hearing this debate until at least 2010 (and perhaps even longer considering Mariano Rivera will be a free agent the following winter).

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