Starting our relief pitchers -- doing the Tampa shuffle

[jerichoholicninja]

Another radical relief idea.

 

Say you have a really tight game, 1 run lead, 2 innings to go, against an elite lineup and team.

 

Could you alternate between a lefty and righty, say, Hader and Jeffress, for 2 innings, playing the handed matchups, sticking the other one in a corner OF spot when they're not matched up to keep them in the game?

 

Would this be too disruptive for a pitcher to benefit? There's obviously also a risk of actually allowing a ball in play to your pitcher playing in the OF, though if you use guys like Hader, Knebel, Jeffress, Williams, these guys are often just not even letting the ball be put in play.

 

Just wondering why this would or wouldn't work.

 

The pitcher can only go to a position and come back to pitch once an inning. So, yes, you can do it (and it happens a couple times every year). You can't do it multiple times in an inning though.

[adambr2]

Another radical relief idea.

 

Say you have a really tight game, 1 run lead, 2 innings to go, against an elite lineup and team.

 

Could you alternate between a lefty and righty, say, Hader and Jeffress, for 2 innings, playing the handed matchups, sticking the other one in a corner OF spot when they're not matched up to keep them in the game?

 

Would this be too disruptive for a pitcher to benefit? There's obviously also a risk of actually allowing a ball in play to your pitcher playing in the OF, though if you use guys like Hader, Knebel, Jeffress, Williams, these guys are often just not even letting the ball be put in play.

 

Just wondering why this would or wouldn't work.

 

The pitcher can only go to a position and come back to pitch once an inning. So, yes, you can do it (and it happens a couple times every year). You can't do it multiple times in an inning though.

 

Are you sure about that or have a link to the rule showing that limitation? Only rule I can find is that there is a 1 batter minimum for any pitcher. Nothing I can find on limits to switches like that.

[jerichoholicninja]

Rule 3.03 Comment: A pitcher may change to another position only once during the same inning

[young guns]

So in theory if it was 2 righties and a lefty scheduled in one inning and then a lefty and 2 righties or 2 lefties and a righty in the next, you can bring in your ace righty in for the first 2, then move him to outfield and bring in the lefty, have the lefty start the next inning and then bring the eighty back to pitcher when the lefty gets the lefties out. Seems like a lot of work that could blow up in your face if there are any batters that reach.

[MrTPlush]

I’ve thought about that idea before...but it just seems like a lot of work for little “hypothetical” improvement. Hader destroys everyone just pitch him against the righties then the lefties again. I just see little gain from the effort. You likely take out a good OFer to put the pitcher out there, then waste a PH to get him out, then use a PH whenever the pitcher spot comes up.

 

No thanks in my opinion. Only way I could see it is if you had a really elite lefty who sucks against righties and your righties are pretty terrible getting lefties out. Even then...ehh.

[adambr2]

Yeah I think Hader and Jeffress was probably a bad example. Both are just so dominant against anyone that any advantage you get from this is negligible at best.

 

Now a tandem that might be a good fit for this would be Taylor Williams and Boone Logan. Williams has been basically unhittable against righties, but struggles against lefties. Logan -- well, not so much success against lefties so far, but if he gets right, in theory he'd be the other perfect complementary piece for this.

[NYChez]

When rosters expand to 40 and if a starter is struggling, how about a game featuring Freddie Peralta, Taylor Williams, Jeffress, Hader, and Knebel?