Welcome to the New Era: Top Pitching Prospects as Glorified Long Relievers—The Shift Away from Traditional Starting Pitchers.
Welcome to the Show, Paul Skenes, and congratulations on a successful Major League Baseball (MLB) League Debut.
I want to see Paul Skenes be a workhorse for the Pittsburgh Pirates, sit at the top of the rotation, accumulate innings, and help propel the Pirates into the playoffs. He's a number one overall pick for a reason; he has more current and potential value than any other prospect in baseball. Let him pitch, and pitch more than his peers.
However, Skenes and other top pitching prospects are on strict pitch count limits, and they are given limited workloads to help monitor their recovery and perhaps keep them healthy.
This widespread trend in baseball neither fosters the development of starting pitchers nor ensures their health; it just limits their value to their team and future earning potential.
Paul Skenes, baseball's #1 pitching prospect, has averaged 3.93 innings and 63 pitches per start this year.
How about other top pitching projects?
Jackson Jobe, the #2 pitching prospect, has averaged 3.24 innings and 58 pitchers per start this year.
Cade Horton, the #3 pitching prospect, has averaged 3.85 innings and 63 pitches per start this year.
Jacob Misiorowski, the #5 pitching prospect, has averaged 3.7 innings and 70 pitches per start this year.
Rhett Lowder, the #6 pitching prospect, has averaged 4.87 innings and 75 pitches per start this year.
Robby Snelling, the #7 pitching prospect, has averaged 4.43 innings and 75 pitches per start this year.
Noah Schultz, the #8 pitching prospect, has averaged 3.85 innings and 59 pitches per start this year.
Notice a pattern? And not one of these pitchers has thrown 100 pitches in a game nor exceeded six innings in any start. The standard job expectations have shifted.
Pitch counts are entirely arbitrary, and as pitch counts have been reduced over the years, we have seen more injuries and fewer household names in each city.
With all the analysts hired to gain a competitive advantage, it looks like a copycat system being deployed throughout baseball.
What needs to be discussed is the potential impact on a starting pitcher's future financial value when used like a reliever in long-term contract negotiations.
This trend only changes if one MLB organization produces three younger starting pitching prospects who can carry the torch for multiple years and prove they win at a higher level. It's still possible but less possible in leadership that drives baseball decision-making. #startingpitcher #mlb #value
