January 30, 2015

Limiting Managers

Dave Cameron on Thursday made a proposal to limit teams to four pitchers a game:

So, we now have more relievers pitching more effectively than ever. If we could reduce the number of relievers used per game, we could theoretically shorten the game and increase offense at the same time. So, what kind of change could be implemented to reduce the number of relievers being deployed each game? My crazy suggestion: each team can only use four pitchers in the first nine innings of a game.

With just three pitching changes allowed in games that don’t go to extra innings, managers would have to be far more judicious in when they attempted to attempted to exploit a platoon advantage. Specialists would still have a spot in the game, but their impact in early the innings would be greatly reduced, as a manager would be unlikely to burn one of his pitching changes in the 6th or 7th inning without knowing that the non-specialists behind him would be able to get the rest of the necessary outs.

Personally, I’d rather force relievers pitch to the end of the inning unless they allow two base runners, but I could get on board with this. Today, Paul Swydan did the research to show that this rule would only impact about 25% of regulation games. My idea eliminates the LOOGY in situations other than the last out of an inning. Dave’s change allows for specialization, but might force another pitcher to stay in the game longer. Both limit managers, but in different ways.

7 thoughts on “Limiting Managers

  1. pft

    I don’t agree with limiting how a manager can use his roster.

    If time is the concern, eliminate managers and coaches visiting the mound except to make a pitching change. Prevent RP’ers who come in during an inning warming up on the mound (they warm up in the pen only until they get called) and have a time limit on them to get to the mound when called in (say 30-40 sec, late arrivals penalized a ball), Hopefully this eliminates 2 minutes commercial break every time a pitcher is changed

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  2. M. Scott Eiland

    counter proposal–limit the number of pitchers on a roster to ten or eleven (with perhaps a waiver for the Rockies because, well, Coors). Ten would put the LOOGYs and ROOGYs out of jobs, eleven would make keeping one painful at best.

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  3. Ed

    I favor one pitcher for every three innings, rounded down. Yes, theoretically you can have a pitcher throw one pitch in the top of the first and bring in second pitcher, but then you have to wait until the top of the seventh to bring a third. Most managers would be careful to keep a pitching change in reserve in case of an injury. If a pitcher gets injured and a team has no pitching changes saved up, then it forfeits.

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