LogFAQs > #982500995

Jeff_AKA_Snoopy posted...

Also, can I have a 40 year old "old man" moment?

I lament the continuing loss of the clear ace. Like, look at Detroit here tossing out Skubal and being like, "This is our ace. He is fucking fantastic and unless YOU get to him? He is throwing at least 7 innings"

Fucking Cleveland? They didn't even give up a run yet and they were already going to the pen in the 4th inning. Like, WTF. More and more teams are just going, "LOL, starter going more than 5? What are you, a fucking idiot?"

I know there are probably plenty of analytics nerds that are gonna roast the fuck out of me for this opinion and that it is more about pitchers moving into being all about power strikeout pitchers so they're tossing like 100 pitches into the 5th inning... but isn't Skubal just proving that maybe the tried and true ace going 7-8 innings and pitching often to contact still is probably the IDEAL?

in terms of watchability you absolutely have a point here. there definitely is more intrigue and excitement in watching a starting pitcher navigate a lineup multiple times, seeing what adjustments can be made. there's a reason no one gives a shit about bullpen no-hitters after all. but in terms of increasing your odds of winning one of the pushes analytics has brought to the table in the last 5 years is the emphasis on third time through the order, basically not letting hitters see your pitcher a third time in a game. we saw it today, Skubal was left in there to face the lineup a 3rd time and they probably lost the series because of it.

the unfortunate thing is that a lot of the advancements brought about in baseball by analytics and smart optimization have made the product less interesting from a spectator point of view. ie less balls in play, less hits due to crazy advancements in defensive positioning, more bullpen games, less stolen bases