Strategy Idea Good or Bad?

[brewcrewdue80]

I've often wondered why a team doesn't implement a 1/2 punch over an entire game with their #4SP and 1 lone RP...the team's potential #4. In the Brewers instance this would be Mike Fiers to start...Chris Narveson to complete the game. And constantly repeat this throughout the year between the two. Maybe Narveson has a start here and there while Fiers finishes the game.

The way I look at it is 1 all the other Bullpen guys get a day off. Which, if the Ace struggled last time out and the #2/3 didn't throw 7strong innings or more leaves them to be fed to the wolves when the 4/5 guys pitch and they have those 4-5ip starts.

I mean sure there's consequences in having to bat the pitcher an extra time or two....and if it's 3 or more I'd expect the team to be in control. And there may be days where the two of them can't complete a game combined. If that's the case though we're likely in an unforeseen extra inning game and there has to be an advantage having the 7th/8th/9th inning guys at your disposal still vs the opposing team's, as it's put low leverage guys, now in high leverage situation.

 

It'd most likely result in a day off though for RPs and they'd be fresher for the #5SP's start. If the #5 pitcher's turn is up on a day off that's B2B days off for them with the Ace/#2 potentially having strong starts to give them even more rest. There could be competition for that #4 start between the two to earn the win vs stuck with a long save or long outing mopping up for a poor start.

Maybe that Narveson RP role helps the offense in say a 4ip 5er start by Fiers thinking Narveson can keep them in the game and they rally. Last season had to be soo frustrating in those attempts knowing the ball would be given to KRod/Axford to close out their successful comeback only to see it blown.

 

Thoughts? Comments? Throwing an idea out there that maybe someone older with more baseball knowledge, "Knows" why this idea isn't used. the potential 8ip/1ip combos ruin it? But what about starting Narveson then on next turn? Or at least have a game simulation immediately following the game to let Narveson keep his arm stretched for 80-90pitches? As a whole with younger pitchers or pitchers maybe limited to around 170ip or less, wouldn't this sorta allow them to make it through the year w/o attaining that limit come September?

[sveumrules]

I like the idea of piggy backing, and would even take it a step farther, but based on the way pitcher salaries are directly tied to the traditional roles currently in place I can't see anybody trying to go against the status quo of pitcher usage.

 

Now I know it seems hard to believe based on our bullpen's performance thus far, and even historically, but over the course of a full season relievers in MLB as a whole out pitch starters in terms of ERA. The primary reasons being that 1. relievers rarely if ever see a batter twice and B. back end rotation guys pitch a high volume of mediocre to terrible innings which eats into the numbers put up by the small handful of true ace level starters in the league at any given time.

 

I think the ideal formula, especially for a NL team, would be to employ a 3x3 man rotation where each member of the triple piggy back is expected to go 2-3 innings based on how they are pitching. It also allows for pinch hitting early in the game if the game situation calls for it as you aren't trying to get one guy through 6-7 innings. This way you could theoretically A. Give up less runs over the course of a season by minimizing the number of times a pitcher sees a batter twice and 2. reduce injuries as innings are more evenly distributed throughout the 12 pitchers on the staff.

 

The only organization I could see this even having a remote chance of happening would maybe be the Rockies given their park and history developing arms but it would require such an organization wide commitment that it is essentially a practical impossibility.

[brewcrewdue80]

I thought the Rockies tried something of what you're describing last season. Starters had like an 80 pitch count limit regardless if they had a no-hitter going..or had a shutout going.

 

You're 3x3 piggy back idea...Is it something where pitchers go on 3game rest vs traditional 4? So 9Pitchers in theory pitching this strategy?

[JohnBriggs12]

I've got another idea. Why not just option Fiers, and put Narveson in his spot? We all saw the downside of carrying 13 pitchers this week.

[Ennder]

Limiting your worst starters from facing hitters a 3rd time unless they are pitching great is a smart idea. A true long man is a good idea too, the kind where you use a RP for 3 innings at a time just to rest the rest of the bullpen. I don't think you can plan it out quite as much as you suggest though.

[brewcrewdue80]

I also think you dumb the game down for a manager. No do I put the lefty in to face this lefty in this situation and pull him after 1out? No do I send my closer back out in a tie game to pitch a 2nd inning. It'd just be the two pitchers go get em.

 

JBriggs, Yeah we could do that too. That's the other part to this is maybe not needing an extra arm in the bullpen since there's the extra days of rest.

 

I also thought on this strategy that with your two splitting a game and the 2nd pitcher having 70+pitch games that if an injury did occur on the Starters, This pitcher would be stretched out and ready to throw 85-95pitches filling in vs say the 70-80pitch limit for a couple turns 'stretching' his arm for a longer workload. Not dealing with that 3-5ip emergency start and subsequent abuse of relievers to complete the game has to have a good effect protecting dead arms later in the season.

[sveumrules]

I know they continue to do it the way they do because that's the way it's always been done and baseball is very reticent to change, but instead of relying on 5 guys to pitch 1,000 innings and everybody else to cover the 450 or so remaining innings over the course of a season it would seem like you could get better results and limit injuries by having 12 guys on the staff all throwing in the neighborhood of 120 innings each.

 

Sure, if you're fortunate enough to have a true ace pitcher a la Verlander or King Felix coming up through your system groom them to throw 100 pitches every 5 days but everyone else in the system I would develop to pitch in 50-60 pitch stints every 3 days.