OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Should relievers truly be handled differently than starters?

ThePretender · 11-30-2017, 02:51 PM

If they didn't get a hit and drove in 100 runs then they're not clutch. If they'd been able to turn some of those outs into hits they would have not only driven in a similar amount of runs, but would have given their team an opportunity to score more than 1 run. In that situation, 100 runs isn't that impressive, as you could get a high number of runs by making fewer outs and extending the inning.

As for your earlier comment, the problem is not mental, but financial. Pitchers would be willing to come into any situation, but at least in arb, they get paid based on saves. Betances got screwed over - he's an elite RP, but because of his low save total he didn't get nearly as much as he should. So why would RP want to come earlier in the game, even though it helps the team, if it hurts their salary in pre-FA years?

Compare it to guys like Andrew Miller, established guys, who are now more willing to enter the game in any situation, and don't have to worry about financial issues or needing to get saves.

For established guys making big $$ they can come in any time, but for RP until payment in arb has nothing to do with saves, players are going to want to have a stricter role (or ideally, be the closer) to maximize their salary.

It's a less a mental issue than it is a financial issue. You can convince a player to come in for any situation, if you compensate him for pitching at an elite level vs getting saves.

11-30-2017, 02:51 PM	#9
ThePretender All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,331	If they didn't get a hit and drove in 100 runs then they're not clutch. If they'd been able to turn some of those outs into hits they would have not only driven in a similar amount of runs, but would have given their team an opportunity to score more than 1 run. In that situation, 100 runs isn't that impressive, as you could get a high number of runs by making fewer outs and extending the inning. As for your earlier comment, the problem is not mental, but financial. Pitchers would be willing to come into any situation, but at least in arb, they get paid based on saves. Betances got screwed over - he's an elite RP, but because of his low save total he didn't get nearly as much as he should. So why would RP want to come earlier in the game, even though it helps the team, if it hurts their salary in pre-FA years? Compare it to guys like Andrew Miller, established guys, who are now more willing to enter the game in any situation, and don't have to worry about financial issues or needing to get saves. For established guys making big $$ they can come in any time, but for RP until payment in arb has nothing to do with saves, players are going to want to have a stricter role (or ideally, be the closer) to maximize their salary. It's a less a mental issue than it is a financial issue. You can convince a player to come in for any situation, if you compensate him for pitching at an elite level vs getting saves. Last edited by ThePretender; 11-30-2017 at 02:52 PM.