Joba Chamberlain

Which young players are stepping up into stardom?

It's a good thing the New York Yankees starting pitchers have been able to go deep into ballgames most of the season. It is, however, a long season, and the bullpen will need to step up and win some games for this club.

Do you feel confident they can? I sure don't. Outside of Mariano Rivera , who is having yet another excellent season, the Yankees bullpen is full of question marks.

In my last article I took a look back at the old guard of the New York Yankees: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte.

Then I realized that New York might have a new core four of players: Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain.

All of them won their first World Series together last year and are shaping into quite a nice quartet of players.

In the hours following Stephen Strasburg's Brendan-Fraser-in-The-Scout -level debut for the Nationals on Tuesday, my buddy Howie posed this question to me (@danhanzus ) via Twitter:

Most trade value: Mauer, Hanley, Pujols or Strasburg? I say #Strasburg easy.

Throughout Joba Chamberlain’s late season struggles last year many fans and pundits insisted that it was because the Yankees were messing with him too much and that he was not pitching ‘where he belonged’ in the bullpen.

Well, the Yankees haven’t been messing with him and he’s been in the bullpen, even further, he’s one of the few who have had a consistent role as the eighth inning guy.

The Yankees got what they were looking for, they scored in double digits for the first time in almost two weeks. But Sabathia couldn't tame the tribe and Joba got scalped out of the bullpen.

When the Indians hang 13 runs on you it's time to make some changes, and it starts by moving Joba out of the set up roll ASAP, he now has an ERA of 5.84 and has three losses to his name.

The heir apparent to Mo might not be that apparent any more.

On May 1, 1920, the Major Leagues would witness the longest game in the history of the sport. The Brooklyn Robins battled the Boston Braves in a game that would eventually end in a 1-1 tie, due to the fact that it was getting dark out, and stadiums were not built with lights at the time.

So, does anyone right now trust the Yankees' bullpen?

If you're like me, you are shaking your head saying no. And right now, you have every reason to.

Now, I know the Yankees are 25-13 and just three games behind the Rays for first place in the American League East, and most fans of other teams will tell the Yankees to stop complaining because they could be worse.

Yes, the Yankees could be the Pirates and be completely doomed. But, they're not.

Last night's loss to the Boston Red Sox has to leave a bad taste in the Yankees mouths. With a 5-0 lead after seven innings and Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera lurking in the bullpen, the Yankees likely thought this game was over and they would sweep the short two game series.

I don't like admitting that I'm wrong.

I put admission of error somewhere between getting a Novocaine-free root canal and being the Jim J. Bullock center square of a human centipede.

But right is right, and it's starting to look like that's exactly what the Yankees were when it came to their handling of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.

Wednesday night against the Tigers was another big night for the farm system's golden boys. Hughes was brilliant over seven shutout innings, and Chamberlain was throwing gas in the eighth for another scoreless inning of relief.