Baseball's late-inning badge of honor is starting to look a lot less exclusive. An analysis at the Athletic suggests that teams are relying far less on individual pitchers as "closers." It's a nuanced shift: The total number of saves hasn't really budged, but the number of pitchers earning them has surged: 139 relievers logged a save in 2008, but that figure hit 212 last year. A month into this season, nearly 100 pitchers already have one, raising the question of whether the "closer"—and the save itself—still sits at the center of bullpen value.
Eno Sarris writes that a spate of injuries to marquee relievers is one factor this season, but the shift goes beyond that. A big part is the surge in the use of analytics. "Instead of being told when they're likely to be used, they're told who they are likely to face," writes Sarris. A reliever who in years past might always be called upon to pitch the ninth might now be summoned in the seventh because he matches up better with the batters on deck. Such a pitcher might not log a save, but he might fare well in what's known as the "leverage" metric—pitching his team out of a jam, even if it's not in the ninth.
"Everybody has a pocket (with) the way the game has evolved with analytics, matchups, and all that stuff," says Twins reliever Justin Topa. "They say, 'We think you're successful against this group of guys.' Whether that's in the seventh, eighth, or the ninth, it's going to be that situation. We've trended that way, it's how the game has evolved." Read the full story.
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