Does Phenom Chamberlain Have Fantasy Value?

August 16, 2007 @ 14:26:44

By KFFL Staff
Edited by Ryan Dodson

The New York Yankees have called up pitcher Joba Chamberlain, who will pitch out of the bullpen. The decision to keep him in the bullpen is just temporary to put him in a position to contribute immediately. After working primarily as a starter in the minors, he should be moved to the starting rotation next season.

Chamberlain, who turns 22 years old this September, has an impressive fastball, which has reached 97 miles per hour. He has also been noted as having a great slider, in addition to an above-average curveball and changeup. Chamberlain was drafted 41st overall by the Yankees in 2006 and has moved up the system quickly. Chamberlain was drafted out of the University of Nebraska, where he recorded 102 strikeouts in 2006.

Chamberlain pitched 40 innings with Class A Tampa to start the season and was dominant, going 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA and 51 strikeouts. He pitched 40 1/3 innings with Double-A Trenton and was effective there as well, going 4-2 with 66 strikeouts. He pitched only eight innings with Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre but was extremely effective there. He did not give up any runs with Scranton-Wilkes Barre and recorded 18 strikeouts in eight innings.

Chamberlain has carried this over to the major league level, where he has not given up any runs, has a 0.60 WHIP and has recorded eight strikeouts in five innings.

Chamberlain has pitched incredibly well, but don't expect him to be anything more than a setup man for now. He won't be heavily used as the setup man either since the Yankees don't want him to be overworked. The team has worked out a formula to make sure this won't happen. According to manager Joe Torre, he will be given a day of rest for each inning pitched. This is his first season at the professional level. He threw 118 2/3 innings with Nebraska in 2005 and 89 1/3 innings in 2006.

Fantasy Value

Chamberlain doesn't have much immediate value, especially since he still needs to show he can stay effective in the majors. Chamberlain has value in leagues that use holds, but he won't be worked too heavily so he may not be the best option. He has good value in AL-Only leagues because of his strikeout potential. In typical leagues, a player like Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Brandon Morrow has more value. Like Chamberlain, Morrow should keep his ERA and WHIP low while maintaining a high strikeout rate.

Chamberlain's true fantasy value comes in keeper leagues. The team wants to be careful not to overwork him partly because they want to make sure he's ready to go into the starting rotation next season. With his high strikeout rate and the quality team that should surround him, he will be in a good position for the 2008 season. However, since he has never come close to the full workload of a major league starter, he could be limited in 2008, too. It's important to remember that he's only 21 years old, so while he is showing results right now, he has not reached his full potential yet.

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