Thursday, March 31, 2016

A Numbers' Game


The White Sox intend to open the season with 12 pitchers while the Cubs will go one better, at 13.  You know what they say: Stupid is as stupid does.

I grew up in an era when 10-man staffs were the rule.  The extra pitchers can be traced in large part to Tony LaRussa, so right there you know it’s overrated.  What value does a face-one-batter pitcher bring to the team, especially when he can’t get that guy out?  Now, consider what a bench player does.

He can catch the ball; pinch run or pinch hit; and platoon.  To me, that’s worth a lot more than some Father Time lefty nibbling at the corners.  But I am not a genius in the mold of LaRussa, Ventura (!) or Maddon. 

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