Because of the development of baseball there has become a specialized role for every pitcher; some pitch in relief, some starting. The difference between these two are obvious, right? Starting pitchers start every game while relief pitchers finish them.
How do you distinguish these two completely different roles is much more complex. Some say that relief pitchers are able to throw with more velocity and violence because they will only be in the game for an inning or two (at most 25 or 30 pitches) while the threshold for starting pitchers has been set at 100 pitches a game. Because of the increased workload starting pitchers are forced to rely less on velocity and more on placement.
Pitchers with excellent endurance and control will more often than not become starters, while pitchers with less endurance yet more power (and consequently less control) will be forced into a relief role. This should be no surprise to anyone as it is an extremely basic element of the game of baseball.
At what point should a struggling starter be relegated to the bullpen, though?
Francisco Liriano has been struggling. If you disagree with that please go through the box scores of his last four or five starts. Through eleven starts this year Liriano’s line looks like this:
2-7, 6.60 ERA, WHIP, 43 ER, 52 H, 50 SO, 28 BB, 58.2 IP
Not exactly jaw-dropping, are they? Liriano is averaging just over five innings per start this year and has given up far more hits than he had at this point last year. His ERA has ballooned nearly 3.5 runs and opponents are batting over .050 points better against him. Clearly, something isn’t working for Liriano.
Anthony Swarzak
Meanwhile, Anthony Swarzak has dominated in his two starts so far this year. Swarzak is just 23 years old and his incredible 2.08 ERA needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt considering his virtually non-exsistent major-league experience, but he has navigated through both the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers’ lineups without any major hiccups. While that doesn’t necessarily mean he is ready to be inserted into the starting rotation, his prior success has given Twins’ fans hope in a future without a starter whose name is synonymous with losing (aka Liriano).
Is it time to make some roster moves? While Glen Perkins awaits the date when he is taken off the DL his team has some critical decisions to make. Is it time to move Liriano to the bullpen?
Most agree that the major problem Liriano has experienced (lack of control of his fastball) is a result of the teams’ desire to lessen the violence in his delivery. Were Liriano allowed to throw as hard as he wanted out of a relief role for three or four innings a week he might regain the much-needed confidence he has surrendered as of late.
No, the Liriano of 2006 will not return. That Liriano cannot return. No longer will the Twins allow a pitcher to use as violent a delivery as the young Liriano practiced three short years ago. Doing so would not only put Liriano at constant risk of injury, but would also shorten his career in the long run.
Let’s assume for a moment that Liriano was removed from his starting role and placed in the bullpen. Most agree that the first to go should be Luis Ayala or Jesse Crain. It’s no stretch to assume that their bloated ERAs would be missed from the Minnesota bullpen. The Twins would need to eat a portion of the salary that they choose to cut, but that shouldn’t cause a major problem.
Let’s review: Liriano in the bullpen, Swarzak in the rotation on a permanent basis, with somebody like R.A. Dickey or even Brian Duensing or Kevin Mulvey making spot starts until Perkins returns.
Perfect, right?
