A Cy Young Award for Joba Chamberlain?

All Yankees fans know about the impressive starting rotation the 2009 Yankees have. C.C. Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, A.J. Burnett, Joba Chamberlain, and Andy Pettitte. The very mention of this potentially devastating tandem ought to evoke fear and trepidation in lineups around the league. I, for one, CANNOT WAIT until the first round of series against the Boston Red Sox. We won’t even have to think about what three pitchers are due to pitch against Boston, whether our ace will be among them, etc. Whoever the Yanks put out there, we’ll be poised for a potential sweep every time.

Which begs the question: which of the Yankee pitchers is most likely to lead the pack for the Cy Young Award this season?

My pick is Joba Chamberlain. In my view, Joba Chamberlain is the most exciting Yankee to come along since Derek Jeter. He throws hard, he’s got wicked breaking balls, he changes speeds beautifully, and he is absolutely fearless. We saw him pitch three innings last week in Tampa against the defending World Series champion Phillies, and he was absolutely lights out – including striking out Ryan Howard with a wicked changeup that froze the mighty Howard like a statue where he stood.

It seems that the only thing that has stopped Joba so far (a Biblical plague of locusts aside) has been the careful limits that have been placed on the number of innings he is allowed to pitch. This is certainly wise. We all know what happened to rookie sensation Francisco Liriano, who blew out his arm in 2006 and was on the DL for two seasons after an awesome rookie year. We don’t want that to happen to Joba, as he completes the transition from bullpen pitcher to starter.

The time has come, however, to take the training wheels off this Tatooine gangster. I predict that Joba, either this year or next year, will win 20 games, with 200 strikeouts, and bring home the Cy Young award. Depend upon it.

But even if Joba does not fulfill the prophecy of his greatness this year, the Cy Young Award still has an excellent chance of coming home to New York for the first time since the back-to-back wins of Sparky Lyle in 1977, and Ron Guidry in 1978 (when all good things were made). C.C. Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang have been perennial frontrunners the last three seasons. And let’s NOT forget the long overdue Cy Young Award which has been too long denied to the greatest pitcher of the last 15 years, our aging hero Mariano Rivera (who was most notably robbed of this award in 1996 and 2005). Whatever happens, it should be an exciting year for Yankee pitching.

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