NYBD: Silva: Rick Peterson: Yanks Doing Right by Joba

Mad scientist rulz!

Peterson is very familiar with Joba’s situation and said he “thinks the Yankees made a great decision and applauds their handling of the situation”. He believes the team is looking at the big picture, which is the value of a starting pitcher. We often talk about that value in terms of impact to a ballgame, but Peterson cited the economic factor since any decent starting pitcher will cost a minimum of $10 million dollars. In the case of Oliver Perez, an under .500 pitcher, he will earn $12 million dollars the next two plus years. It’s safe to say building a rotation is not cheap. He also thinks the pundits should allow 2-3 years before giving their final comments. Obviously the big dilemma is how to incorporate the Joba plan for innings/rest without disrupting the rest of the rotation. Regardless, he has faith the Yankees will do the right thing.

Obviously I respect Rick Peterson’s work a great deal. If I ran a ballclub he would be right at the top of the list of pitching coaches I would hire. Clearly the Yankees need to be careful with their young assets, like Hughes and Chamberlain, but I question their rest schedule. Remember, pitchers are creatures of habit, Peterson said that much during the interview, and asking any pitcher to perform on different days rest is very disruptive. The majority of the year Joba has been on normal rest but, since his great outing in Tampa, Chamberlain has not been the same pitcher. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the aggressive rest schedule started then? I certainly don’t. Rhythm, in my opinion, is just as important as rest when dealing with pitchers.