I love outside-the-box unorthodox strategizing. In every form of competition. I love wildcats and flea flickers in football, I love the point forward in basketball. I enjoy running tank Lulu, tank Karma and other weird builds in League of Legends. And no other form of competition is open to the notion of unorthodox strategizing than baseball, where the pace of the game and the individual events of every single pitcher versus batter matchup completely creates the perfect environment for some unique strategies to be born. The DeVanzo Shift, four-man outfields. Moneyball, moneyball, moneyball.
The Tampa Bay Rays did something that I’ve always talked about would be an interesting concept to try, but nobody in baseball ever did; until now. I’ve bounced the idea around before, suggesting teams should start a relief pitcher occasionally; primarily on the notion that there are a number of pitchers who for reasons completely unknown, have rough first innings, or there are some matchups that they should avoid for a first time through an order. Once, I thought the New York Yankees should have employed this, when Mariano Rivera was on his farewell tour, and there would be no more appropriate way for him to go out than to start a game at Yankee Stadium, cutter the top of the first inning to death, and then get removed from the game to the bonkers raucous crowd reaction he rightfully deserved.
But nah, the notion of starting a guy with the intention of going one inning never seemed like it was going to happen until now. The Rays, facing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County off of Interstate 5 South, started not just a game, but two straight games, with relief pitcher Sergio Romo. In those two games, he pitched 2.1 innings, faced nine batters, walked two but struck out six. In one game, he was lifted for an actual starting pitcher, Ryan Yarbrough, who proceeded to pitch the next 6.1 innings and get the win for the Rays, and in the other, he was relieved by a series of other relief pitchers who lost the game.
Regardless, Sergio Romo did his job and pitched efficiently in two straight starts. And because it worked once, it definitely has opened some eyes as a viable strategy; except that the Angels, namely infielder Zack Cozart has been immediately vocal about how it’s not a good thing for the entire sport, and then he’s basically backed by the MLB Players Association, stating that such a strategy is going to be financially detrimental to players who are designated starting pitchers.
Firstly, fuck off Zack Cozart; being an infielder, what the fuck does he have any say in what pitching strategies are good for or aren’t good for baseball? The bottom line is that Cozart was the first guy to strikeout against a starting Sergio Romo, and it feels like sour grapes over the fact that he was the first victim to a strategy that kind of worked.
If Cozart is concerned about what baseball players make, perhaps he should look no further than himself first; if he really wants to make money in the league, then perhaps he should try and improve that .701 OPS (that’s not really good), even if it means getting back on the juice that made him a 5.0 WAR player just a year ago. He shouldn’t concern himself to what pitchers are doing.
Secondly, this is a prime example of just how greedy bitches baseball players can be. They already get paid way better than almost all other professional athletes, because baseball contracts are guaranteed, but they’re always looking for more and more ways to eke out their clubs who will then eke out the fans in order to make more money for playing a children’s game. If the MLBPA is pretending they’re looking out for the players by trying to nip bullpenning in the butt, they of all people know that in today’s smarter and evolving game, people know how to analyze and look at everything, and if any player has any talent or ability that’s worth a dime, it’s going to be found and paid for, eventually.
Who cares if Sergio Romo starts a game and only pitches an inning? That GS next to his name for Game Started isn’t going to do shit to his next contract. Ryan Yarbrough being short one GS on his baseball card isn’t going to matter if his innings pitched number is anything below 160 per year, or his strikeout rates aren’t favorable, or he has a particularly high number in his HR/9 column.
Ultimately, the goal of any team is the win baseball games so that they can have a chance to win championships. Player salaries are of secondary importance to the teams, but unfortunately not to the players themselves. But when the day is over, the teams still trump in the individuals, and if the players don’t like it, they can go find other places to work, and Zack Cozart can go fuck himself.
Sergio Romo starting games is good for baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays thinking outside the box and employing some unorthodox strategies is good for baseball. Zack Cozart and anyone else who thinks alternative thinking is not good for baseball, are not good for baseball. If everyone can stop being such greedy bitches and go out and play good baseball, I promise that the dollars and earning potential will always remain profitable if they lead to winning.
