[NakedReporta]

With the myriad ways managers are now using their pitching staffs that would have been decidedly unorthodox a few years ago -- what with openers, "starters" that don't actually start, stoppers, and the like -- it seems to me as if the time has come to dispense with separate ratings for starters and relievers and to just rate pitchers by their pitching ability against all other pitchers.



And as for pitching usage, I would advocate having two ratings in place of one -- Stamina (how long a pitcher might be expected to pitch in a given game) and Recovery (how long it takes a pitcher to recover after an appearance). For example, a starter like Jason deGrom might have a 70 Stamina and a 30 Recovery, which would mean you could expect to have him go deep in a game, but he'll take four days to recover fully. On the flip side, an Edwin Diaz might have a 30 Stamina but a 70 Recovery.



Game usage percentage would still come into play and affect both ratings, in terms of tiredness. And I think the game does this already to some degree. But I think the big difference is that we would be able to see a pitcher adapt from a starter to a reliever and vice-versa if, say, we bring up a minor league starter and end up putting him in a relief role. His Stamina might slowly decrease as his Recovery increased as he adapted to his new role. Same with moving an aging starter into a middle relief role.


It's just a thought.