It wasn’t that long ago that most baseball people bemoaned the Yankee system of being bereft of talent. But Brian Cashman has done a fine job of replenishing the farm with strong young arms.

The surprise is that the farm is barring fruit so quickly, with Hughes and Chamberlain already contributing at the major league level, and the arms of Kennedy, Horne, Rameriz, Ohlendorf, Sanchez and others showing such promise, the Yanks’ system is now ranked 4th by Baseball America.

Joba’s short minor league career records looks like this:

A Tampa : 4-0, 2.03 ERA, 40 IP 51 K, 11 BB.
AA Trenton: 4-2, 3.43 ERA, 39.3 IP, 64 K, 15 BB.
AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 10K, 1BB

And by the by, he’s been clocked at 100 MPH at least 3 times this year.

Joba Chamberlain is as unlikely a candidate for major league stardom as you might be able to find….and that makes his ascent to Yankees this year all the more interesting.

Armed with a 98 mph fastball, a major league slider and an arching curve ball, Chamberlain has burst upon the major league scene because he can control all three pitches, and he possesses amazing maturity for a youngster of 21.

Just a few years ago, however, Chamberlain was not even a likely candidate for college ball. When he graduated high school, he was battling a weight problem. At just over 300 lbs., he was deemed unfit for college athletics and he took a job cleaning rest rooms for the city parks department in Lincoln, Nebraska. While slopping out toilets and urinals, he sometimes heard kids playing ball outside on the fields.

Joba had an epiphany that summer after high school, and he went on a strict diet and training regiment. He lost more than 50 lbs. and decided to go after his dream. He started to pitch again.

Chamberlain enrolled at Division II Nebraska-Kearney. He later transferred to the University of Nebraska to pitch for his beloved Cornhuskers, the team he followed from youth.

While at Nebraska, Chamberlain lead the Cornhuskers to the 2005 College World Series He went 10-2 with a 2.81 ERA. In 2006, he became the 41st selection in the Major League Draft. He was available to the Yanks as compensation for the Phillies signing Tom Gordon.

All the while, Joba got plenty of support from his best fan, his father Harlan. The elder Chamberlain was born on the Winnebago Indian Reservation, and he is paralyzed in his left side from childhood polio. Harlan instilled into his son the importance of never giving up.

Joba Chamberlain recounts: "I think my story is one that sends a positive message to kids. Never give up on a dream. If you have the will and the work ethic, you're going to catch a break somewhere along the way."

That same positive attitude is sure to help him in his major league career. Joba says, "Pressure is what you make of it. I want to keep the team in the game and get it to Mo."

So important is Chamberlain to the Yankees, that the front office has instituted “the Joba Rules.” The rules are designed so that Torre won’t burn the youngster out, as he has done to so many relief pitchers in the past. Joba gets a day off for each inning pitched, and he is not to be brought in during the middle of an inning. Torre is under strict orders from above, and below (Nardi Contreras), since the entire organization is well aware of the damage Torre can inflict upon relievers.

And to think that the Texas Rangers wanted Chamberlain, among others, for Eric Gagne.
Gagne is fast becoming my favorite Red Sox player, so far he’s spotted this line for the Beaneaters:

5 G, 4 IP, 10 H, 7, R, 15.75 ERA. 3.00 WHIPS, .500 OBAP, .455 AVG.

Granted, it’s a small sample size, but it’s what marketer’s call a FUN SIZE, so enjoy it.

Getting back to Joba, he is just one of many happy summer stories for the Yanks, since the All-Star break, they have been the hottest team in baseball at 23-8. Everyone is hitting, and the starting pitchers are turning in one stellar performance after another. Thanks to Cashman and some healed injuries, the bench is suddenly strong when it used to be a hindrance.

Of all the hitters, I have been most impressed with Robby Cano. He’s been patient, yet aggressive in the zone. He’s been hitting at an insane .436 clip since he was mired in the .230s. He’s maturing before our very eyes. I, for one, was too critical of him earlier in the year when he was working out his funk. I apologized before and I will again. It’s great to have the real Robby back.

Print those playoff tickets, by division or by wild card, the Yanks are going. And they are going strong.