Carleton: The openers are coming, the starters are fine
From Russell Carleton at Baseball Prospectus on October 24, 2018:
Despite what you may have heard, the starting pitcher is not dead. This season will be remembered as the year of The Opener, Bullpen Day, and the Great Starter Fakeout of 2018, but the starting pitcher is the same as he used to be.
When we talk about how starting pitching (or anything in baseball) is changing, it’s important to understand how we got there. That way, in a few years when The Opener becomes standard practice, we’ll understand what went on. And we also need to dis-entangle (as much as we can) a few strands of the “starter is dying” narrative from each other. In some sense, openers and bullpen days and the third-time-through-the-order penalty are all related, but it’s important to understand why.
Read the full article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/43410/baseball-therapy-the-openers-are-coming-the-starters-are-fine/
Originally published: October 24, 2018. Last Updated: October 24, 2018.