How Baseball Organizations are run....

[Fan4Life]

Since I don't have any inside information about this, I can only speculate about my understanding based on years of experience of being a fan. My primary point to this post (besides the fact that we're off today and I really would like to kill some time), is to understand how pitching is brought along through a system to the Major Leagues. Here is how I would run an organization with regard to pitching:

I would establish that every pitcher needs to be able to throw (with some reasonable control) at least 3 of the following pitches:

Fastball with movement (cut fastball or any other name to define this)

Curveball, perhaps more than one type.

Changeup

Sinker

Slider

I would hire coaches that had mastered these pitches and all of my MiL pitchers would be working with these guys in the off-seasons to add what ever pieces are missing from their arsenal. Obviously I would be drafting / trading for pitchers that have multiple pitch personalities. Some will be more successful than others. Some of the ability to throw these pitches has to do with hand/finger size I presume. In that regard, that would be one of the factors I look for in a pitcher. Guys who have similar hand/finger size to successful ML pitchers who have mastered their craft.

Why we leave the "building their craft" up to them(the pitchers) is beyond me. They're aren't hired consultants, they are employees and as such should be placed into a system that provides all the teaching necessary to be successful.

Sound reasonable? Or, where am I going wrong here?

[ElToro75]

Since I don't have any inside information about this, I can only speculate about my understanding based on years of experience of being a fan. My primary point to this post (besides the fact that we're off today and I really would like to kill some time), is to understand how pitching is brought along through a system to the Major Leagues. Here is how I would run an organization with regard to pitching:

I would establish that every pitcher needs to be able to throw (with some reasonable control) at least 3 of the following pitches:

Fastball with movement (cut fastball or any other name to define this)

Curveball, perhaps more than one type.

Changeup

Sinker

Slider

I would hire coaches that had mastered these pitches and all of my MiL pitchers would be working with these guys in the off-seasons to add what ever pieces are missing from their arsenal. Obviously I would be drafting / trading for pitchers that have multiple pitch personalities. Some will be more successful than others. Some of the ability to throw these pitches has to do with hand/finger size I presume. In that regard, that would be one of the factors I look for in a pitcher. Guys who have similar hand/finger size to successful ML pitchers who have mastered their craft.

Why we leave the "building their craft" up to them(the pitchers) is beyond me. They're aren't hired consultants, they are employees and as such should be placed into a system that provides all the teaching necessary to be successful.

Sound reasonable? Or, where am I going wrong here?

Interesting thought.

What would you do with a guy like Tim Wakefield in your scenario? He really only has 2 pitches, his knuckleball and his blazing fastball, so would he be forced to learn another pitch to pitch for your organization.

What about a guy like Mariano Rivera too? As a closer, he really only relies on his cut fastball mixed in with 2 & 4 seem fastballs (I guess that could qualify as 3 pitches though).

[Fan4Life]

Interesting thought.

What would you do with a guy like Tim Wakefield in your scenario? He really only has 2 pitches, his knuckleball and his blazing fastball, so would he be forced to learn another pitch to pitch for your organization.

What about a guy like Mariano Rivera too? As a closer, he really only relies on his cut fastball mixed in with 2 & 4 seem fastballs (I guess that could qualify as 3 pitches though).

I wouldn't classify a knuckle-baller as a traditinal pitcher and probably wouldn't be forced into my process. Rivera does have a great cut fastball, why wouldn't we want 5 starters that could throw that pitch?

[ElToro75]

I wouldn't classify a knuckle-baller as a traditinal pitcher and probably wouldn't be forced into my process. Rivera does have a great cut fastball, why wouldn't we want 5 starters that could throw that pitch?

Yeah, Wakefield is an exception to the rule in this scenario I guess.

I wasn't saying that we wouldn't want 5 starters that could throw a cutter, but guys that pretty much only rely on 2 pitches (i.e. relievers) would they be forced to have to learn and throw a third pitch to be on your team?

It definitely would be nice to have a plan for our pitchers as they grow up in our system.

[Fan4Life]

Yeah, Wakefield is an exception to the rule in this scenario I guess.

I wasn't saying that we wouldn't want 5 starters that could throw a cutter, but guys that pretty much only rely on 2 pitches (i.e. relievers) would they be forced to have to learn and throw a third pitch to be on your team?

It definitely would be nice to have a plan for our pitchers as they grow up in our system.

Unless you are a closer with 95-97mph fastball, I would think the more pitches you can throw, the more successful you will be.

[ElToro75]

Unless you are a closer with 95-97mph fastball, I would think the more pitches you can throw, the more successful you will be.

Agreed. On the other side of the coin though, what if a pitcher becomes less effective by adding a 3rd pitch. Example being that a pitcher who only throws a fastball and slider, but in this scenario he learns to throw a curve ball but can't master it and it hangs more times than not and gets crushed by hitters.

Some guys are in the majors only because they can throw two pitches, but they can throw them well. I can't think of any other names here (I'm a big fan of the game, but I don't get down to the nitty gritty stuff like that), but I'm sure someone can chime in with some decent 2 pitch pitchers.