By Zach Freeman
Fantasy Sports 101 Baseball

March 21, 2008 - With the regular season just around the corner, managers all around the majors are faced with tough decisions. Whether it is the batting order, keeping an up-and-coming star with the big team, or the pitching rotation, managers make many of their toughest decisions at the end of March.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi made one of his tough decisions this past week when he decided not to use Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation, but rather as a setup man for closer Mariano Rivera.

“We think that’s where he fits best right now,” Girardi told The Associated Press.
Chamberlain, who was called up to the Yankees last August, posted a 2-0 record and a 0.38 ERA in 19 appearances. In his 24 innings of work, he struck out 34 and walked six.

Chamberlain had been training to be a starter this season, but said he wasn’t very surprised with Girardi’s decision.

“I had an idea if everybody stayed healthy this would happen,” Chamberlain told the AP. “It’s best for the team right now. It’s about winning games. It’s not about Joba Chamberlain.”

While Chamberlain heads to the bullpen, Girardi and other team officials aren’t ruling him out as a starter in the future. Girardi said he didn’t want to make any promises he couldn’t keep, so he won’t say if or when Chamberlain may start.

Chamberlain was a starter in college and in the Yankees’ farm system.

My Take
This is a smart move for the Yankees to make. Chamberlain hasn’t had the best spring, compiling a 6.14 ERA in 7.1 innings. He was great as a setup guy for Rivera last season and if the Yankees wish to avoid another awful start, they have to be able to hold leads against top teams like the Red Sox and Indians.

The Yankees rotation of Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy has its share of questions, so if any of them have trouble staying in games or get hurt, Chamberlain is ready to fill in if needed. If the starters can stay in for six innings or so, and hand the game off to Chamberlain in the seventh or eighth, followed by Rivera, that could translate into lots of wins for the Yankees.

Fantasy Impact
This decision will hurt those owners who took a chance and thought Chamberlain was going to start right away. With him pitching in a relief capacity, his value is limited to quality ratios and a high strikeout rate until he would get a starting nod. If he moves into the rotation, pick him up quickly. He has electric stuff and will always get lots of runs support from the potent Yankees lineup.