Mets closer Billy Wagner can relate to what the Yanks’ Joba Chamberlain is going through. He, too, came up through the minors as a flame-throwing starting pitcher, only to be moved to the bullpen in the majors when Astros’ closer Todd Jones was felled by injury in 1996. Wagner never made a start in the majors, instead embracing his new role with gusto.

“I just hated the idea of sitting around for four days in between starts,” he said. “I loved the idea of having a chance to be in the game every night.”

On the subject of Joba Chamberlain, Wagner has the following advice, via the Daily News:

“The Joba thing, to me, there’s no question about where he should be,” Wagner said. “He’s in the pen and that’s where he should stay. He’s dominating out there, so you want him comfortable, just doing what he’s doing.
…
Wagner says he understands the argument to make Chamberlain a starter, but makes the point that even the best starters don’t have the impact they once had because of the heavy emphasis on bullpens these days.

“The game’s not played like it used to be,” he said. “Starters don’t go nine innings anymore. There’s so much specialization now, and a lot of the seventh and eighth-inning guys have better stuff than the closer - they just don’t have the experience or mental toughness yet of knowing you don’t have anybody behind you.

“I just don’t think you can bring guys up to the big leagues and babysit them. With Joba, he’s either a reliever or a starter. He can’t be both. If the Yankees really want to make him a starter now, to me, that’s a two-month thing.

“It wouldn’t be so much about arm strength as command. You can throw bad breaking balls as a reliever and get away with it, but you can’t as a starter. If you can’t throw other pitches with command, they’re just going to sit on your fastball, and it doesn’t matter how hard you throw.”

Just one more “idiot” who’s got a beef with Hankenstein.