I’ve well documented my theory on the 5 man rotation, and why it has devastated baseball. The stat I just uncovered says it all. The starters are going 6 innings or 100 pitches, if they are even good enough to get to that point. The bullpens are over worked. Proctor and Farnsworth, for example, for the Yankees have pitched in half the games to date! Take a look at this number: 557.

Do you know what it represents?

It is the number of pitchers used so far in MLB!!!! And we are just a pubic hair past the All-Star break. When the September call-ups hit, and a few more pitchers get injured, and teams bring up guys to see what they got, this number will likely hit 750 by seasons end!!!!! 750 represents a 25 man roster for all 30 teams!!!!! WOW!!! The Red Sox, here, at the tail end of July have already used 24 different pitchers!!!! That represents a staff of 12 to start the season, and a full AAA staff of 12!!!! Guess what? ML pitching is now 50% Major League caliber pitching at best and 50% minor league pitching, compared to the 70s-80s!!! 11 teams have already reached the 20 mark, and the team using the fewest?

MINN (14).Five other teams sit poised to soon hit the 20 mark, as they have used 19. By seasons end most of the 30 teams will have topped the 20 mark!!!If this doesn’t say 4-man rotation, build arm strength and reduce pitching injuries  I don’t know what does. I pointed out that there were 85 pitchers on the DL earlier, ever wonder why? Is it from over work? Hardly, no one throws many innings anymore, it is just the opposite. Whoever was the brainchild for the clickers used by pitching coaches, and when that 100th pitch is clicked, time to go, should be awarded mega millions by the players association, because it has created about 300 extra big-league pitchers that should be in the minors.Think about it and come to your own conclusion:

Pitchers throw less innings, and less pitches than in any other era.

Pitchers now have four days rest between starts instead of three just 20 years or so ago.

Pitchers are often sent ahead of the team to the next city, instead of tiring on a flight the night before their game if opening a series in a

new city.

WITH THAT SAID:

There are now more disabled pitchers, due to arm problems than anytime in the history of baseball.

Those that used to pitch 250-350 innings (

Carlton, Seaver, Ryan, Palmer and the list is endless, never or rarely had arm problems.

So I would like a pitching coach to explain to me why each and everyone of them is so pitch count conscious?There are 1,458 innings in a 162 game season (extra innings not included).

1971

Baltimore Orioles:

Cuellar, Mcnally, Dobson and Palmer: 1081 innings
70 complete games in 142 starts
13 total pitchers used

NO PITCHER that did not get a spot start pitched in more than 35 games, and none had as many as 50 innings pitched!!!DID IT TAKE ITS TOLL?The next year the Orioles used just 11 pitchers the entire season, it was just the opposite!!!!

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