Last year, after moving from a temp job in the Phillies’ starting rotation to the bullpen role for which he was acquired, Matt Strahm considered the state of pitching in modern baseball. His conclusion: Middle relievers are criminally undervalued. Strahm, a multi-inning middle man for much of his nine major-league seasons, is admittedly biased.
But he isn’t wrong. Across the majors in 2023, starters averaged 5.1 innings and 85 pitches, down from 5.
9 innings and 95 pitches in 2013 and 6.1 innings and 97 pitches in 1998. The flip side to asking less of starters is that teams lean more on their relievers — and not only setup men and closers.
Gone is the day when the bullpen was where failed starters went to cling to their roster spots. Most teams carry eight relievers now. Almost all throw smoke, from the middle innings to the ninth.
The most electric arms, if not the best, can often be found beyond the outfield fence. Why is it, then, that All-Star Game rosters still tend to be populated by only starters and closers? “The stat of ‘GS’ [games started] is valued on its own too much,” Strahm said. “It’s like, OK, what about bulk leverage? What’s the value of that? You have to look at some of these relievers that aren’t getting holds, aren’t getting saves.
A guy that comes in in the fourth when the starter gets in trouble and he’s able to pitch to the seventh to keep the team in it and then they come back and tie it, that’s more valuable than a save, in .
