Post Gazette: The Cost of doing Bullpen Business is on the Rise

[weams]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2016/03/27/For-Pirates-other-MLB-teams-the-cost-of-doing-bullpen-business-is-on-the-rise/stories/201603270075

A paradigm shift regarding pitch counts, as teams try to protect their investments and young prospects from injury, means starters pitch fewer innings. In 2006, 45 pitchers threw 200 or more innings. Last year, 28 pitchers reached that mark. According to research by ESPN?s Jayson Stark, last season had fewer starts that lasted six innings or more than any season in history.

This means bullpens work more. That can be a good thing.

By the time a starter faces a lineup for the third time, his effectiveness decreases. Good bullpens allow a manager to pull their starters at the first sign of trouble, or sometimes even before: Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash often removed starters early last season, even in outings when they were pitching well.

?With Melancon and Watson at the back end, with the trade for Soria last summer, the intent was to shorten the game and allow [manager] Clint [Hurdle] to go get the starter when he wanted to and not try to stretch for seven innings because the bullpen was light,? Huntington said.

The Pirates and Yankees are not pioneers here. The Atlanta Braves used to run out Jonny Venters, Eric O?Flaherty (who is in Pirates camp this spring with a good chance to make the roster) and Craig Kimbrel in the late innings. The Kansas City Royals lined up Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland and blew people away for the final nine outs. The Cincinnati Reds had the Nasty Boys trio of Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Myers when they won the World Series in 1990.

?With the Royals, it?s a three-headed monster back there, and they got Soria this year too,? Watson said. ?We feel like we have a seven-headed monster, though. We can just roll anybody out at any time and get the job done.?

To do that, and to give Hurdle the flexibility to yank a starter whenever he wants, the Pirates look for pitchers who can throw more than one inning. That was part of the allure of Nicasio, a former starter who might yet find his way into the rotation after an exceptional spring.

?Everybody in your ?pen, outside of the closer, is a multiple-inning guy,?

[MdSooner]

Not really germain to the article. (so please feel free to delete).

I always wondered about the bull pen catcher. I was at an Orioles game in 2011 or 2012 or so. Weiters was the catcher and I think (think) Teagardner was the back up.

Mid way thru the game Matt was on deck or batting. Then Teagardner in between pitches runs out onto the field to pick up trash or something.

But we also had a pitcher warming up in the bull pen. And Im thinking to myself if Matt is batting and Teagarden is in the dugout - then who is catching in the bullpen?

And to get to the point that catcher wasn't a player or coach. I think their titles are support personnel or something.

But anyway that catcher was from Lawton Ok. Just something I learned and though interesting