Baseball is a fun sport to watch. In my opinion. It may be slow and methodical, with enough down time to border on tedious, but I enjoy it nonetheless. It might be because of the slow moments that I enjoy it, because it offers a moment or two of conversation. Things don't happen in a bang, but in a bloop, until of course a bang happens. No sport allows for more philosophical self-reflection about what that sport is or isn't, or what it should or should not be, than baseball.
I’ve come to realize that I have some opinions about sports, baseball in particular, that I consider “old-man” takes. The one I talk about the most, with the most irrational fervent, is that starting pitchers don’t pitch enough.
Now into my old-man rant: Years ago starting pitchers would pitch until their arms literally stopped working. Was it a good idea? No, probably not. Was it detrimental to their long term health? Most definitely. Is it incredibly impressive to look back at stats and see Steve Carlton pitch 346 ⅓ innings in 1972? Of course it is, it’s the most impressive thing I’ve ever read!
In 1972 the Philadelphia Phillies had a record of 59-97. They finished in 6th place and underwent a managerial change half way through the season. Steve Carlton made 41 starts, 30 of which were complete games, and he was credited with 27 wins. Which means that Carlton, an individual man who played one position on the field and took one at-bat every nine times through the order, was responsible for 45 per cent of his team's victories.
Now, 50 years have passed since then and things are totally different. This year’s National League front-runner for the Cy Young Award is the San Diego Padre, Blake Snell. Snell was undoubtedly good this year. He pitched to a league best 2.25 earned run average and tallied 14 wins in 32 starts. However, he only pitched 180 innings, which, in my opinion, is not enough to be considered for an award that is presented to the best pitcher in the National League.
The role of the pitcher has changed over the years–workhorses like Carlton no longer exist, but starting pitchers in today’s game struggle to complete 160 innings in a season. In 2023, only five starters pitched 200 innings or more.
Stats tell a story, some are better and some are worse at telling those stories. Some stats have gained value as analytics have crept into the game, others have lost value. But as advanced metrics keep shrinking pitcher workloads, therefore extending their careers and protecting the long-term health of their bodies, I can’t help but yearn for a bygone past.
Anyway, my old man rant is over.
