Now that the transformation of Joba Chamberlain back to a starter from the Yankees eighth inning specialist, the question now on the mind of every Yankee fan is an easy one to guess: who replaces Joba? The guess here is that, like Joba himself last year, it eventually will be one of three minor leaguers: David Robertson, J.B. Cox and Mark Melancon. All three relievers have been outstanding so far this season, and rank among the Yankees top 30 prospects according to Baseball America (Melancon No. 11, Robertson No. 24, Cox No. 26). All three also have experience as college closers at big-time programs; Melancon finished games for Arizona, Robertson closed for Alabama and Cox was the closer on the 2005 national champion Texas Longhorns.

This season, Robertson is 1-0 with a 1.61 ERA in 14 games between Trenton and SWB, Cox has a 1.65 ERA in 14 games in Tampa, Trenton and SWB, and Melancon is 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA in Tampa and Trenton.

– My column for the Sunday edition of the paper was about one of Trenton’s three name outfield prospects, Jose Tabata. But it was another one of them, Austin Jackson, who had a field day against Reading yesterday.

In Trenton’s 15-7 win, Jackson was 2-for-5 with a home run and seven RBI. He now is hitting .274 on the year with two home runs, 18 RBI and six stolen bases. Jackson could be an option for the Yankees in the outfield as soon as Opening Day next season, when Bobby Abreu likely has moved on as a free agent. However, the better chance for Jackson to become a regular in the Bronx is 2010, when Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui both come off the books.

An interesting subplot to watch over the next couple years is which of the Yankees touted minor league outfielders make the major league roster. I would guess that between Tabata, Jackson, Colin Curtis, Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera you will have the three starting outfielders on the 2010 New York Yankees. The question then is what happens to the other two guys? It should be interesting to watch.