Why didn’t Joba Chamberlain pan out for the Yankees?

How many Yankee fans have a “Joba Rules” t-shirt tucked away somewhere that hasn’t been touched for a decade?

Joba Chamberlain was drafted 41st overall by the Yankees in 2006. After gliding through the minor leagues, he was called up in August and made his major league debut on Aug. 7, 2007.

The 2007 Yankees struggled early. On June 1 the team was 23-29 and they did not reach the .500 mark until July 6 when they were 42-42. The Yankees were past their early-season struggles and claimed the American League Wild Card spot at 94-68. There was hope going into the ALDS against the Indians, partially because of Chamberlain’s high 90’s fastball in the bullpen.

The biggest story of that team was Chamberlain. Although the hype wasn’t at “Linsanity” levels, it was close. Many Yankee fans thought they were watching the heir apparent to Mariano when he finished the regular season with one earned run, 34 strikeouts and six walks in 24 innings.

However, the Nebraska native’s season was symbolized by a swarm of midges that attacked Chamberlain on the mound in the top of the eighth inning at Progressive Field during Game 2 of the ALDS. The Yankees lost the game, series, and Joe Torre, as the Yankees’ Hall-of-Fame manager lost his job after that season.

Torre implemented the “Joba Rules” in 2007 to preserve Chamberlain’s young arm. The rules were to give Chamberlain a day off for every inning he pitches, and he could only pitch two innings if he had two days of rest.

Many thought Joba was a true starter. This was a hot debate for Yankee fans. Hank Steinbrenner thought Joba should get a shot in the rotation, while many Yankee fans thought he should be groomed in the bullpen to become the next Mariano.

In 2008, Chamberlain started the season as Rivera’s set-up man, where he was 1-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 20 games. Then in May, he got his chance in the rotation for 12 starts, before a shoulder injury derailed his 2008 season.

In 2009, the Yankees put Chamberlain into the rotation full-time. However, the Joba Rules were back. Going into the season, it was reported Joba would have an innings limit of about 160 for the season. He started 32 of 33 games and went 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA. Unless he was dealing, it was rare to see one of Chamberlain’s starts go more than five innings or 100 pitches.

When the Yankees went with a three-man rotation of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte for their 2009 championship quest, Chamberlain went back to the bullpen, where he pitched well in the World Series with one earned run in three relief appearances en route to a Yankees championship.

Maybe the writing was on the wall the entire time that Chamberlain was best in the bullpen. As a full-time reliever in 2010, he posted a 4.43 ERA in 73 games. At 24 years old, there was still promise for him to mold into the star that once shined in 2007.

2011 looked promising when he had a 2.83 ERA in 27 games, but Chamberlain would undergo Tommy John surgery. Then in March 2012 while rehabbing from the surgery, Chamberlain suffered a significant ankle injury while jumping on a trampoline with his son. Chamberlain didn’t pitch for 14 months. He came back towards the end of the 2012 season, where he pitched in 22 games to a 4.35 ERA.

2013 would be Chamberlain’s last season with the Yankees. He would sign with the Tigers for 2014 and pitch decent during the regular season. But he made headlines in New York again by plunking Derek Jeter. Then in the 2014 ALDS, Chamberlain imploded with a monstrous ERA.

In 2015 Chamberlain had an ERA over four in 30 games with the Tigers before he was released and picked up by the Royals. He appeared in six games for the Royals but nonetheless received a 2015 World Series ring. He appeared in 20 games for the Indians in 2016 but was designated for assignment in July.

That would be all she wrote.

The Yankees prevented Chamberlain from finding his niche as a pitcher. But the rest of career, injuries would never let the world see the tantalizing prospect that once was.

Keep in mind, Chamberlain wasn’t the only glorified Yankees pitching prospect with “rules.”  Phil Hughes made the All-Star team in 2010 but never reached the potential he once had. The Twins wanted him in a potential trade for Johan Santana. Maybe the late 2000s Yankees should serve as a cautionary tale of how not to handle talented young pitching prospects.

What went wrong? Was it the Joba Rules? Injuries? Should the Yankees have given him a change of scenery by trading him while his stock was still high? There’s no clear answer. But when you’re able to go to Yankee Stadium again, you’ll always be able to spot those No. 62 jerseys.

For the good and the bad, Joba will always be apart of Yankee history.