Joba Chamberlain

Chamberlain began 2015 with the Tigers, but saw a major collapse as he bounced around the league. After posting an unsightly 4.09 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in Detroit, he was released by the Tigers. He then spent time with the Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo before being released by them as well. The 30-year-old finally finished the season with the Royals, but performed even worse, posting a 7.94 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Chamberlain's best days appear to be well behind him, but he will get a chance to compete for a spot in the Indians bullpen in spring training as a non-roster invitee.

After struggling in his final two seasons with the Yankees, Chamberlain was able to bounce back with the Tigers last year. Chamberlain worked primarily in the eighth inning for the Tigers, finishing 2-5 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 29 holds and two saves in 63.0 innings. Despite losing some juice on his fastball (93.4 mph average), Chamberlain was able to post a 8.4 K/9, which is only slightly below his career norm. He also drastically cut his walk rate down from 5.6 in 2013 to a more manageable (but still weak) 3.4 BB/9 in 2014. After relying primarily on a fastball-slider combo in past seasons, Chamberlain unleashed an improved curveball, which proved to be his most effective pitch. Currently a free agent, Chamberlain will likely garner interest as a setup man or middle relief option after the improvements he flashed in 2013.

The promise that Chamberlain showed when he burst on to the scene a few years ago seems like a distant memory now. Chamberlain can still bring it in the mid-to-high 90s, but his stuff seems very hittable, and he may no longer be viewed as a lock to work in the late innings given his lack of control (5.6 BB/9) and propensity to surrender the long ball (1.7 HR/9) during his final season with the Yankees. With a live arm and being just a year removed from a strikeout-per-inning campaign in 2012 (3.55 xFIP), the Tigers rolled the dice on him in December, and he could quickly establish himself as a setup option ahead of new closer Joe Nathan.

Chamberlain had a bizarre 2012. While rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, he had a trampoline accident while playing with his son that dislocated his ankle, and was thought to be season-ending. Chamberlain worked his way back to appear in 22 games for the Yankees, and while he still showed strong strikeout numbers (fanning 22 in 20.2 innings), he allowed 32 baserunners over that span. Chamberlain looked good before hurting his arm in 2011, but we'll have to see if his stuff comes back to forecast whether he'll ever be anything close to the shutdown reliever we saw early in his career.

Chamberlain will miss at least half of 2012 as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. Given the emergence of David Robertson, it's unlikely at this point that Chamberlain would regain his position as the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera, but he's shown much better control as a reliever than as a starter, averaging 7.5 K/9IP and 2.2 BB/9IP as a full-time bullpen arm before succumbing to the elbow injury. The Yankees could potentially deal Chamberlain to a team that sees him as a closer option, or they could pair him with Rivera, Robertson, and Rafael Soriano to create a devastating late-inning bullpen combination once he returns to health.

Chamberlain's role with the Yankees was one of the most hotly debated issues in spring training last year, but don't expect that to be the case in 2011. New York doesn't seem to be giving any serious thought to giving him another chance in the starting rotation, and he seems destined to spend another year in a seventh- or eighth-inning role. Chamberlain is probably better suited to the bullpen anyway, showing significant improvement in both K/9IP (9.7) and BB/9IP (2.8) when used as a full-time reliever last year.

Chamberlain began the 2009 season as a starter for the first time in his career. Hamstrung by the increasingly secretive and ever-evolving Joba Rules, he was often yanked after just three or four innings, especially later in the season. Whether those restrictions had a negative effect on his performance remains up for debate, but the end result was a highly inconsistent campaign that saw Chamberlain negate his strong strikeout numbers (133 in 157.1 innings) with a lack of command (76 walks). His 2010 role hasn’t been permanently decided, but we expect to see him back in the rotation, likely working with a less restrictive innings count.

The Yankees' front office is planning to keep Chamberlain in the rotation for 2009, but considering that he only tossed 100.1 innings in his first full major league season, there could be some workload restrictions in play. The price tag on draft day will be high regardless of his role, but given Mariano Rivera's death grip on the save opportunities as the team's closer, fantasy owners will undoubtedly prefer that the Yankees stay the course and keep him as a starter. In 42 appearances -- including 12 starts -- Chamberlain posted a 118:39 K:BB ratio and held opponents to a .233 BAA in 2008, but beware of the potential for another year of Joba Rules protecting his arm.

Chamberlain was untouchable at all four levels he pitched at in 2007, delivering a combined 169:33 K:BB ratio in 112.1 innings as a starter and reliever. The Yankees opted to call him up when their set-up options faltered, and he was quickly deployed as the eighth-inning stopper in front of closer Mariano Rivera. Chamberlain's fastball touches 99 mph, while his curveball is also a plus-pitch that helps him dominate hitters. As of press time, the Yankees were leaning towards moving him back into the rotation, while new manager Joe Girardi hinted that there would be a strict watch over his workload, as well as that of young hurlers Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Chamberlain's stuff is simply electric, so expect plenty of strikeouts regardless of his eventual role.