Slowly but surely, baseball tradition has given way to pragmatism. Teams shift on defence like never before. Advances in nutrition and conditioning shape the modern player. Sluggers like Josh Donaldson, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Trout bat second, displacing the usual slap hitters.
But if there’s one place where tradition still rules, it’s at the back of the bullpen, where many managers seemingly allow the save statistic to determine how they use their relievers.
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On paper, it’s a mistake to tab one pitcher as the team’s closer. Instead of using ace relievers primarily in save situations, teams should deploy their top bullpen arms when the stakes are highest, regardless of the inning. Instead of asking the same reliever to record the game’s final three outs over and over, matchups and rest should determine usage whenever possible. The result would be a bullpen by committee, where three or four trusted relievers provide surprising value when combined with a manager’s deft touch.
The trouble is, players rarely see it that way. They say it’s tough to prepare for a game when you could be called on at any time. “After a while, man, that mentally wears you down. It physically wears you down,” says former Mariners closer David Aardsma. “You’re always on edge. The best bullpens I’ve even been in had guys who knew their role and could just go out there and do it. We weren’t superstars, we were all no-name guys, but we had great years because we knew: ‘This is your role.’”
If Aardsma knows when he’s likely to pitch, he can review scouting reports and pace his warm-ups accordingly. But if he’s expected to be ready early, that makes for a long, tense day. “One day you’re throwing in the fourth inning, the next you’re throwing in the ninth. That’s hard to do,” he says. “You can put up with it that day, but the next, you’re like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. I need to be ready now in the third inning.’”
The Blue Jays’ Drew Storen has heard the case for relying on a committee of relievers, but the 28-year-old right-hander says there’s a human element to consider. Pitchers tire when they’re warming up at unpredictable times, and they aren’t the only ones whose behaviour changes late in games. “Hitters are different in the ninth inning, too,” says Storen, who has 95 career saves. “They try to play the hero, and instead of grinding out at-bats, they’re more likely to chase.”
That’s not to say that teams should allow save opportunities to inform their decisions. Rest and matchups must also be considered. But maybe in all these years of criticizing the considerable flaws of the save stat, we’ve missed a key point: There’s actual value in clearly defined bullpen roles. On second thought, pragmatism and tradition may be more closely aligned than expected.
“This game is so much more mental than people think,” says Aardsma. “It’s a marathon. It’s the mental side that kills guys.”
SPREADING THE SAVES
Four teams had multiple pitchers with 10-plus saves last season, though none of those teams employed a bullpen-by-committee approach. They just happened to change closers mid-season because of trades, injuries or poor performance:
PHILLIES
Jonathan Papelbon (17) + Ken Giles (15)
Cause: Papelbon traded away mid-season
ROYALS
Greg Holland (32) + Wade Davis (17)
Cause: Holland injuries
TWINS
Glen Perkins (32) + Kevin Jepsen (10)
Cause: Jepsen acquired midseason
MARINERS
Fernando Rodney (16) + Carson Smith (13) + Tom Wilhelmsen (13)
Cause: Mariners changed closers twice from Rodney to Smith to Wilhelmsen
