[NoOne]

the peope that get well defined bullpen roles are the small portion at the top of the distrubution curve.

most pitch with exactly what you described. setup/closer being the exception. all 30 teams don't even have each of those positions filled with good players.

"Should any pitcher truly be treated (or perform) differently from another, except for metrics such as stamina and stuff?"

well, excluding ability, i assume? based on context i think you meant something akin to: it shouldn't matter when they pitch, they should be as good as they currently are at any 1 particular time. ie a closer shouldn't be worse whether pitching 9th or a high leverage situation in the 7th.

i agree with this... and the strong/better players can do this. weak-willed, superstitous dummies cannot. people that knowingly become dependent on a strict and unbending habits that prevent them from being useful at any time are a weak link.

"foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." - by whomever

it's "your" fault if you cannot handle pressure or pitchign in different situation. especially if you have conditioned yourself to be terrible outside of your comfort zone. it's not something that is out of 'your' control. *you - plural about baseball players.

just like a fear of dogs or <insert noun>. you avoid it, you never get over the irrational nonsense in your head. so, if you coddle players and bend to their irrational requests liek only being used in certain situation, they are making "it" worse.

there will be a change in how players are developed and it will take a generation to turnover the league. if you want players comrfortable with the new strategy, you need to start preparing them properly for it. i.e. don't use high-end prospects exclusively as a closer or setup etc.

in game none of this matters, imo. maybe personality affects success?

i hope there's no penalty for using a closer outside of the 9th inning beside morale/chemistry side effects -- which is man-made irrational nonsense when it's toxic.