The Pen is Mightier Than the Staff?

Since Joba Chamberlain first took the league by storm a fascinating debate has emerged. It centers around the idea that Chamberlain has more value to the team pitching out of the bullpen. The debate gained momentum last season, when Phil Hughes experienced his most successful stretch in the big leagues while pitching out of the pen.

The argument continues. Put on a New York sports radio station and soon enough you'll hear someone call up and suggest that Chamberlain be put in the bullpen for good, that he should be "groomed" as future closer and successor to Mariano Rivera.

Personally, I've always been adamantly against relegating a talent like Chamberlain or Hughes to the bullpen. Let me outline my reasoning.

1. Both Chamberlain and Hughes have been starters their entire baseball lives. They were first brought into the organization as starters and they were starters in the minors before being called up. Even in the majors both Chamberlain and (to a lesser extent) Hughes have shown that they can be successful starting pitchers.

2. With the talent that a player like Chamberlain has displayed, would you rather have him pitch 200+ innings for your team or do you want him to pitch 70-80 innings? This is a no brainer. Sure, those 70-80 innings might come in high leverage situations, but you first need a starter to get you to those later innings and give you a chance to win.

3. While the numbers that Chamberlain and Hughes have put up as starters are not what was expected, they're by no means terrible. It takes a long time for a pitcher to adjust to the big leagues. So many front line starters have faltered at the start their careers only to eventually put it all together. Take a look at John Lackey's career numbers, or Dan Haren, or Jake Peavy. All struggled greatly in their first 30+ starts. Chamberlain's numbers in his first 20 career starts are better than all of those comparables. Plus, you cannot lose sight of the fact that Chamberlain is 24 years-old while Hughes is only 23. They deserve more time before making any judgements.

4. Of course they've had success in the bullpen, they have an absurd amount of talent and pitching out of the pen is simply easier than starting. You only need to get three outs, maybe six. You rarely see a batter more than once in an appearance. You don't need to bring out the entire arsenal, usually just throwing a fastball and one out pitch (either slider, curve or change). That's a major hindrance on guys like Chamberlain and Hughes who have three or more plus pitches and a need to continue developing a repertoire. Think about a guy like Daniel Cabrera - a player who probably should've been moved to the pen a long time ago, but they keep trotting him out in the first inning and hoping one day he'll put all that talent together. That raw stuff is too tantalizing and teams want to maximize it in a starting role.

5. A pitcher isn't "groomed" for a spot in the bullpen. Unless the player has been pitching out of the pen throughout his college and minor league career, the role is usually reserved for guys who either couldn't make it as a starter or have suffered an injury to their throwing arm and can't handle a large pitch count. Joe Nathan and Eric Gagne are prime examples of guys who couldn't make it as starters and were moved to the bullpen. You can't make a decision on Chamberlain or Hughes like that yet, they need more time.

6. An ace starter is harder to come by than a dominant bullpen man. This is just a simple fact of baseball. Capable bullpen pitchers pop up every year, yet dominant starters are a rare breed. Both Chamberlain and Hughes have the chance to be top of the rotation pitchers.

Now, I think Yankees fans have a unique perspective on this debate because of Mariano Rivera - unquestionably the greatest bullpen man of all time. He's been in the league long enough where it's time to start thinking about what's going to happen when he retires. Fans desperately want a seamless transition and they know how hard that's going to be. Well, Mo is going to impossible to replace. Don't let the desire to supersede him cloud your judgement and call for a talent like Chamberlain or Hughes to spend the rest of their careers trying to live up to Rivera in the pen. It's only setting them up for failure all while not maximizing their potential.

This upcoming season will only fuel the debate. The competition for the fifth spot in the rotation will produce an odd man out and that player will most likely end up in the bullpen. The Yankees view Chamberlain and Hughes as long term projects and are in no rush to make a decision, but it's clear that they want them to succeed as starters and will afford them every opportunity to do so.