No, I was not included in this roundtable, but they got three good representatives from the Yankosphere to chat about all things Yankee. Here’s part 1:

Q: [...] Which of the two [Joba or Hughes] is better suited to be the Yankees’ fifth starting pitcher this season?

Kabak: Both pitchers are perfectly suited for the starting rotation, and both pitchers should be given a fair shot at starting. That said, I’m very mystified by the Yanks’ thinking. At River Ave. Blues, we’ve long been supporters of giving the young pitchers a chance to start. After all, top-notch starting pitching doesn’t grow on trees, and the Yanks have a rare (for them) opportunity to develop two front-line pitchers out of kids who are both under 25. These two have spent their careers starting and should be doing so in the majors.

That said, the Yanks’ decision — seemingly made before spring training — to go with Hughes boggles my mind. I love Hughes; I’m ecstatic to see him in the rotation; but after the Yanks yanked Chamberlain around for the better part of three seasons, they’re willing to move him into the pen for all of 2010. Brian Cashman says he’ll still be a starter when the Yanks need pitchers in 2011, but I’m beginning to doubt the team’s willingness to develop a plan and stick to it for their young pitchers.

Nice job by Ben, Steve and Cliff.

I’ve said similar things about the handling of Joba as Ben did above. Given the chatter from Eiland and from Billy Eppler, you might want to infer that the Yanks have ditched the “Joba-as-a-starter” plan. Of course, Cashman debunked this.