~~Also, how long is this transition to starter going to take anyway?~~

4 to 6 weeks should be enough time to build up his arm and legs to be able to handle throwing 100 pitches in an outing.

He threw 2 IP last night. Next he’ll do 3 IP in about 4 days. Then, 5 days later, he’ll do 4 IP, etc. By the end of June, he’ll be more than good to go.

I don’t know if there’s any hard & fast rules you can apply to *every* pitcher coming up from the minors. Not everyone has the same arm strength, conditioning, velocity, etc, etc.

180 IP could be nothing for one guy, while for someone else it may wreck his arm.

But, what fun would sports talk radio/TV be if every topic of conversation ended with, “Ehh, the matter’s too subjective, let’s move on.” … ?

My question is…what happens if Joba gets beat up as a starter?

I mean he’s never started in the majors before and he’s only had to be effective for 1 or 2 innings at a time so far. It’s possible that he struggles as a starter just like Hughes and Kennedy did.

So if Joba fails as a starter, then what happens next? Would they put him back in the 8th inning? or would they demote him too?

I’m not trying to be negative but we really don’t know if he’s going to be successfull as a starter. He definitely has the stuff to do it but until he does, we really don’t know for sure and I think the fans would go nuts if Hughes, Kennedy, AND Joba all fail as starters in the same season.

Also, how long is this transition to starter going to take anyway?

I know the media needs a story, and they have to report this like someone found the cure to AIDS, but it’s making everyone look silly. A midseason conversion to the starting rotation is typical and has been done about a million times. It happens ALL THE TIME — why are people talking about this like the Yankees are reinventing the wheel?

I also don’t understand why people are so nervous about not having Joba for the eighth inning, like somehow without him there no one, under any circumstances, can get outs. Pettitte and Kennedy aren’t pitching well. Mussina, fairly or unfairly, is something of a wild card. They need another solid starter — and Joba could be it.