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Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 29, 2019 17:45:27 GMT -5
Check this out--right now the 12th best bullpen in all of baseball has an ERA of 4.25. As you go backwards through the years, look at how drastically bullpens have gotten worse year by year.
You have to go to the 19th place team last year to find an ERA around 4.25:
2017 it's around 16th place:
But 2016 it's 24th place before you find a 4.25 ERA:
26th place in 2015:
It's 28th place in 2013:
What's really funny is if you keep going, by 2010 or so you start to see a regression where all the bullpen ERAs kept getting higher each year (working backwards) instead of lower. So bullpens sucked, then they got way better, and now they are sucking again. Two points--first of all, why is this? Not teaching kids how to actually pitch anymore, but just throw as hard as they can? With the idea of low pitch counts and high velocity being all that matters? Second point, this is why it's so hard to add good bullpen help right now, because 19 teams drastically need help and it has surely driven up the value of the good relievers who might be available.
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Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 29, 2019 17:53:54 GMT -5
Look at the contenders who are as bad or worse than we are so far this year:
Red Sox, Yankees, Brewers, Dodgers, Mets and Gnats. And the Cubs and Faillies are barely better than us so far. The Mariners deserve mention too because they've had a good start and their pen has been worse than ours.
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Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Apr 29, 2019 21:58:21 GMT -5
Everything in baseball is cyclical, but to me what is driving the trend is that so many pitchers have the
same power game, and few of them know how to pitch outside of max effort on every throw. A curve can be great
but if it looks identical every time it will get clobbered. Fastballs at the same velocity can be timed. Max
effort sacrifices control and walks from relievers kill. Looks to me like everyone comes to the plate looking
for one thing at the one speed they know they will get at some point and just murder it. If it doesn't come, they take the inevitable
walk.
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Post by bravter on Apr 29, 2019 21:59:48 GMT -5
Are hitters typically more hot at the beginning of the season? Then as the weather and games go up they start slumping. You might see a significant drop in bullpen ERA after next month.
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Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 29, 2019 22:08:42 GMT -5
Are hitters typically more hot at the beginning of the season? Then as the weather and games go up they start slumping. You might see a significant drop in bullpen ERA after next month. Based on how high the bullpen ERAs have been across MLB over the last few years I don't expect to see a significant drop in overall ERA as the season goes but I'll keep an eye on that. |
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Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Apr 29, 2019 22:30:31 GMT -5
There will be some of that, but it's all relative. The basic point will still be true.
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Post by keystone61 on Apr 30, 2019 8:15:22 GMT -5
 Pitching used to be a craft, or if you prefer, an art. Now, it's.......well, I don't know what it is. |
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Post by Fumbduckery on Apr 30, 2019 8:55:23 GMT -5
Pitching used to be a craft, or if you prefer, an art. Now, it's.......well, I don't know what it is. The same can be said about the game overall. They’ve completely gotten away from doing anything fundamentally correct. And I don’t get that. |
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