Chamberlain Named To Futures Game
by Mike Ashmore

After only a brief stay with the Trenton Thunder, it's pretty clear that Joba Chamberlain will factor heavily into the future of the New York Yankees.

What wasn't as clear was whether Major League Baseball agreed, but that question was answered when he was named to the XM Future's Game, MLB's annual prospect showcase game that's held before the midsummer classic.

Chamberlain made national news when he was selected 41st overall last year, becoming the highest-drafted player of Native American heritage in history.

"There's a lot of Native Americans that don't get to chase their dreams, and I'm lucky enough to be able to do it," Chamberlain said.

"When I go back to where we're from, I'm going to tell them to set yourself up to be successful and good things will happen to you."

Life was relatively normal for the 21-year-old ace, growing up in the city just like many kids his age. While his father briefly spent time on a reservation, he contracted polio as an infant and was taken away from his family for a little while.

"We still have family on the reservation, so we go back and see them sometimes. Things are a lot better, but it still can become better," he said.

Things instantly became better for Chamberlain after overcoming a weight problem while at Division II Nebraska-Kearney, losing 25 pounds upon transferring to Nebraska.

It was then when the Yankees took notice, and they eventually selected him in the supplemental section of the first round of the draft.

"I stopped watching the draft in the middle of the first round," Chamberlain recalls.

"I started playing with my son upstairs, but then I got a bunch of calls from my teammates and friends saying that I'd been picked at 41 by the Yankees. It couldn't have happened with a better organization, so I was pretty lucky to get picked there."

For Chamberlain, just being selected wasn't the only blessing that came with the draft.

"When I was younger, if I had five dollars in my wallet, I was happy," said the humble star.

"There are a lot of people that you can help with that kind of money, and that's the biggest thing. I wouldn't be where I was if there weren't a lot of people helping me."

One group of people that Chamberlain hasn't been helping lately is the opposition, using a repertoire of fastball, slider, curveball and changeup to baffle them to the tune of a .186 average against in his first three starts in a Thunder uniform.

But when asked for a scouting report, he doesn't brag about how that fastball lights up the radar gun at 97 miles per hour. Instead, he gives you a lesson about effort.

"I'm going to give you 110 percent every time I go out there," he said.

"I'm going to be excited out there, I'm going to show emotion out there. I want to keep my teammates involved and keep everyone in the game."

Rated as the fifth best prospect on the organization by Baseball America entering the season, it won't be long before Joba Chamberlain sets his sights on the fifth starter's spot in the New York Yankees rotation.

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