Quote:
Originally Posted by TNCubsFan
Also to buck the thought trend here, the reason your closer is so good is because he is laying it all out for one inning. Extend him for six and you wont have the same pitcher. Remember Gagne was a failed starter before he moved to the pen and blossomed.
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Exactly, and (if healthy) he could switch back to a starter tomorrow if the Dodgers thought that was best. It would take him some time to get the arm back to being able to throw 6 innings but probably not more than a month or two. Meanwhile his stuff isn't going to be as effective because he has to conserve his arm a bit. The pitcher model just isn't very realistic currently. Here is the short version of what I think needs changed.
- 95% of pitchers are created with an endurance rating that would allow them to throw enough pitches to start.
- Add an "arm fitness" rating which is dynamic. The rating determines what role their arm is currently conditioned for.
- Add a "training or betwen game workout" type option that could be adjusted for each pitcher. If a guy is in the rotation, this option would be "starter". If he is a middle reliever it would be "relief". Over time while training for a role, the pitchers' arm fitness would change towards that role. You could even add another rating that determines if and/or how long it takes each pitcher to adjust.
- The arm fitness & endurance rating (as well as how much they have been used recently) would combine to determine how long that guy could go if you put him in the game that day.
- The stuff rating & velocity of a pitcher should adjust along with his "arm fitness". If he is training to be a reliever, he should be able to throw a bit harder and with more movement because he doesn't have to pace himself, while if he is changing to become a starter his pitches are going to lose some effectivness in order to allow his arm to throw longer. Again, there could be another rating that controls just how much effectivness a pitcher loses/gains by switching roles.