Willie Randolph has been taking some heat for his use of the bullpen and it’s not totally fair.
Like most managers these days, Randolph follows a formula with his pitching. Have the starters go six or seven and mix and match with the pen. The Mets had the NL’s best pen last year and he’s not doing anything differently this season.
A couple of moves haven’t worked out, but the theory behind them was sound. Before it is over, his percentage will be pretty good.
A thing to remember about how managers use their pen is called the “second guess’’ factor. If a manager deviates from the formula, he’ll be bombarded with questions. While the formula works, it is also the path of least resistance.
5 Comments
yeah i get that., but i dont have to like it. In the 80’s when the mets were in their glory. the pen was used when it was needed , and they did their job. specially during the umpteen overtime games. what was the record 14 or 16 innings?
I really think that maine has what it takes to go all the way.
There is such a thing as playing middle of the road.use the pen enough but use your starters too..
I guess i miss the old days when a pitcher pitched until he was done and needed relief…
As i said, willie has done great stuff..i just am not used to this whole formula when you have good pitching (finally)
I don’t buy the argument that the starters should all pitch complete games. It’s a different era now. I do think Willie has had some issues with the bullpen this year, but hopefully it’s just because he’s feeling out some of his new personnel. Four of the seven relievers are with the Mets for the first time this year. As long as he gets more comfortable later in the season, things will be fine.
Willie Randolph, and general managers, and field managers, and sportswriters and everyone else need to learn about something called leverage, otherwise known as “Win Probability Added,” or WXRL, “Wins eXpected above Replacement Level.” Go here: http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomics/index.php/2005/07/advanced-relief-pitching-primer/
In other words, the ninth inning closer ‘that’s his inning’ mentality is a terrible thing to happen to a bullpen. It is also terrible when various other pitchers are alotted their own innings. Relief pitchers should be used based on the leverage of the situation… if one or two outs here will add much more liklihood of the team winning (A CALCULABLE QUANITITY), then a team should use its best pitcher in these situations, right?
Ironically, the assigned inning thing is not Willie’s problem, except with Wagner—but all managers are stuck with that disease, and the SAVE “statistic” doesn’t help that much—his problem is just using the wrong pitchers in the wrong spots. It is apparent he does not have much respect for the “percentage thing or whatever.” (His words). All in all, I don’t mind it much. The players seem to respect Randolph, and there’s only so much a manager can hurt a team. It’s just that it’s only natural for fans to cringe when their coach decides to ‘see what my guys got’ in crucial situations in rubber games at homes against our perennial division rivals. You know, we want to like, win those games.
I agree that I would like to win the game a little more than seeing what a reliever has – but it is still early in the season. I also have felt that the assigned role is a mixed blessing for baseball. Although it is probably good for the player to feel that they know what their particular role and when they are expected to enter the game. I feel that the manager loses a little flexibilty in when they can use a pitcher. If you really need to stop a rally and Billy Wagner is the one to do it why not bring him in the 7th inning. ( I know he’s paid a lot of money to close games.) If that helps to cement the game isn’t that as good as a save?
In support of Steve C’s ongoing crusade of a pitcher finishing a game, it used to be a pitcher went 9. It used to be a pitcher pitched the whole season.
Now with all the specialization and new training techniques we have tommy john surgery, broken bones from pitching etc.
My question is have pitchers become more brittle while getting ‘better’? is it a steroid/drug thing which pushes the body and make it more brittle ( i remember piazza with that bizzare groin tear ).
It seems to me that there are not many bona fide pitchers anymore. Most are brittle, fragile specialists who need to be babied and paid millions.
Maine to me is a throwback. He goes in and just pitches. he hit 100 pitches and possibly could have been stretched to let him learn how to pitch. I really like him. Omar got a steal in that trade.
Dave