Joba Chamberlin Moving to rotation

Joba The Starter - 05/22/2008

BY Aaron Gleeman

LATEST FANTASY BASEBALL HEADLINES

Yanks begin process of making Joba a starter

Padres' Young has nose fractured by liner

Colon beats Royals in Red Sox debut

Tigers activate Willis, place him in bullpen

Brewers shut down Gagne due to stiff shoulder

Pedro leaves Mets to be with ailing father

Mets' Church injures head, taken to hospital

Joba Chamberlain entered an 8-0 game Wednesday and worked two innings for just the second time this season, with manager Joe Girardi explaining why afterward by saying that the Yankees are now prepping him for a shift to the rotation. Coming into the season most speculation had the Yankees aiming to have Chamberlain in the rotation after the All-Star break, but Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy struggling and the team fighting just to stay above .500 likely hurried those plans.Chamberlain has posted a 1.42 ERA and 59-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio while holding opponents to a .178 batti! ng average over 44.1 relief innings, but being a setup man limited his fantasy value. It'll be nearly impossible for Chamberlain to approach that level of dominance as a starter, but he can significantly boost his value anyway. He hasn't started a game since last July, but has an impressive track record as a starter in both college and the minors.He had a 2.45 ERA and 135-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio between three levels of the minors prior to being called up and has an arsenal of pitches that makes him well suited to start after working almost exclusively with his fastball and slider as a reliever. Assuming that it takes Chamberlain a couple weeks to build up arm strength, he's very capable of winning double-digit games with an ERA in the mid-3.00s and 125-150 strikeouts going forward while making 18-20 starts.While Hank Steinbrenner finally gets his wish, here are some other notes from around baseball .* Dontrel! le Willi s returned from the disabled list Wednesday, but the Tigers opted against sticking him back into the rotation after he posted a 4.41 ERA and 11-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in three minor-league rehab starts. Armando Galarraga has pitched well filling in for Willis, but the Tigers' other starters have ERAs of 6.65, 6.08, 5.61, and 4.76 overall, so it's somewhat telling that Willis will be working out of the bullpen for now.Willis figures to resume starting again soon enough, but he was a poor fantasy bet coming into the season and remains a poor bet now. Even at just 26 years old he now longer has the stuff to overpower hitters and continues to struggle with command. Some low-pressure appearances as a reliever will give him a chance to start throwing strikes again, but he hasn't walked fewer than 3.3 batters per nine innings since 2005 and doesn't figure to start no! w.* Albert Pujols went 1-for-5 with a single in a modest night at the plate Wednesday, but knocked both members of the Padres' battery out of the game. In the third inning Pujols smacked a line drive back up the middle that nailed Chris Young on the bridge of his nose, leaving the 6-foot-10 starter a bloody mess and fortunate that he's not a few inches shorter (or unlucky that he's not a foot shorter). Later that inning Pujols slid into Josh Bard on a clean play at the plate, leaving the catcher with an ankle injury.As ugly as Young taking Pujols' liner off his face looked, Bard's inj! ury may actually prove more significant. Young never lost con! sciousne ss, walked off the field largely under his own power, and didn't appear to be in a huge amount of pain, although the latter is easy to say from the comfort of my couch. He's been diagnosed with a fractured nose and was taken to the hospital to be examined for a concussion, among other things, but for now appears to have averted disaster.* Called up from Triple-A, Bartolo Colon made his Red Sox debut Wednesday, giving up two runs over five innings against the Royals. Colon allowed six singles, issued two walks, and struck out four, working with a fastball that frequently clocked in at 93-94 miles per hour. He's certainly not a safe option in mixed leagues yet, but should definitely be owned in AL-only leagues and makes for a solid play next week with starts against the Mariners and Orioles.* After sharing the job with Maicer Izturis early in the season, Aybar started 39 straight games at shortstop despite batting just .273/.287/.374 with a horrible 18-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio during that stretch. His streak came to an end Wednesday, as the Angels placed Aybar on the disabled list with a dislocated right pinkie finger suffered the previous night. Chone Figgins came off the DL to fill Aybar's spot on the roster, which means that Izturis is free to shift back to shortstop again.AL Quick Hits: Jorge Posada tested his injured shoulder by throwing from 75-90 feet Tuesday, with manager Joe Girardi saying afterward that he could begin a minor-leag! ue rehab assignment next week . After complaining publicly abo! ut Kenji Johjima's pitch-calling, Jarrod Washburn got Jamie Burke as his catcher Wednesday and allowed nine runs to push his ERA to 6.99 . Alex Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles Wednesday, but would've had a second long ball if not for a blown call . Nick Blackburn had held the Rangers scoreless for five frames Wednesday before being rocked from seven runs in the sixth inning, but thanks to <Alexi Casilla's erro! r only one run was earned . Manager Eric Wedge said Tuesday that Joe Borowski (triceps) could come off the DL and resume closing by the end of the week . Daric Barton batted seventh Wednesday and went 0-for-3, leaving him 7-for-55 (.127) this month . Despite a strained right calf, Chien-Ming Wang is expected to make his scheduled start Saturday . David Eckstein (hip) suffered a setback while rehabbing and won't be activated from the DL when eligible Thursday.NL Quick Hits: Rick Ankiel (shoulder) wa! s out of the lineup Wednesday for the fifth straight game, but! was hea lthy enough to deliver a pinch-hit homer . Chipper Jones left Wednesday's game with a bruised shin, but as usual figures to be day-to-day . General manager Jim Bowden said Wednesday that he's "concerned" about Austin Kearns' sore elbow and the Nationals have sent him for a second opinion . Ubaldo Jimenez shut out the Giants for seven innings Wednesday, but got stuck with a no-decision when Brian Fuentes blew his third save . Ben Sheets scattered 11 hits in a complete-game win Wednesday, with Xavier Nady's solo homer serving as the only damage . Moises Alou is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his strained left calf, which he said Wednesday "has been bothering me for three or four days" . After going 0-for-4 on Wednesday, Jeff Kent is just 8-for-55 (.145) this month . According to the New York Daily News, "the buzz among scouts is that the Mets are shopping Aaron Heilman" . Dizziness knocked Jerry Hairston from Wednesday's game, with Paul Janish likely to start at shortstop Thursday.