Requiring Starters to Go at Least Six Innings

[Warehouse]

A few other considerations:

To protect player health, the league would also need a carve-out for number of pitches in an inning. Throwing 40 pitcher in an inning is more of a threat to pitcher health than throwing 105 pitches in a game.  I think they would need an exemption for when a pitcher reaches 30 or 35 pitches in an inning.  Often this will coincide with giving up 4+ runs, but not always.

The rules will lead to more situations where teams intentionally walk batters with bases loaded.  

Will teams revive the old fashioned intentional walk in place of the automatic version to get pitchers closer to meeting the min 100 pitches without excess strain on arm?

The carve-outs create weird incentives since teams are rewarded with increased substitution flexibility for their pitchers being inefficient or giving up runs.

How does the league manage the injury exemption while both preventing it from being abused and avoiding a situation where an ump rejects the substitution because he falsely believes it’s fake and then the pitcher is injured?  What if a pitcher is ejected for arguing balls and strikes and it’s not clear whether or not it’s an attempt to circumvent the minimum?  Now, these dynamics already exist with the three batter rule, but if pitcher gives up two home runs they can intentionally walk the third batter so there is limited incentive for funny business.

What if a player (say Garrett Crotchet) just refuses to come out for the sixth inning?

I also don’t see how it would be possible to test this rule in AAA, unlike shift bans and pitch clocks.

[Frobby]

I’m not going to waste my energy debating something that’s never going to happen.

[dystopia]

Most of caveats make this rule change a nothing burger. The only reason it’s being considered is because of managers like Hyde. 

[Matt Bennett]

I'd rather expand the roster to say 28. Allow for more pitchers: 16 pitchers and 12 position players.

I've also pretty much always been in favor of shortening the season. That could come with a longer playoffs. I think it's silly there's a 162 game season and then a 3 game wild card series. Then a 5 game divisional series. NBA and NHL have 82 game seasons and each series is 7 games. 

[Warehouse]

 

[Warehouse]

 

[Can_of_corn]

I'll argue it Ken.

I couldn't care less if the Starting pitcher goes deep.

If going through the order twice and handing the ball off gets the Orioles more wins, I'm for it.

[Can_of_corn]

8 minutes ago, Warehouse said:

 

It's not the decline of the starting pitcher, it's the natural evolution of the game.

I don't understand the blowback about making teams making the most effect choice.

I guess we are seeing the same thing in Basketball to an extent. 

[Gentile4]

How about if teams stop giving mega, multi-year contracts to guys that average 140 innings a year?