While pitching tools work much differently than hitting tools, there is a similar way of looking at the relative importance of tools for various pitching roles.
There aren’t clear cut formulas for pitching. While many pitchers in today’s game find success relying on the quality of their “stuff”, some pitchers get by on command or a combination of stuff and command. The challenge when scouting a pitcher is to observe the players’ current pitch arsenal/approach and predict what type of role they will be best suited for at the Major League level.
The question that’s central to whether a player is a starter or a reliever is “Does he have the command to be a starter?” MLB relief pitchers are often former starting pitchers who had to make the switch at some point, just as can be said of many former shortstops who play second base or third base.
Command becomes extremely important when a pitcher is relied upon to turn over a lineup multiple times every fifth day and give his team at least five innings a start. A reliever can be quickly removed and replaced if he struggles with commanding the strike zone. If a starter is removed, the bullpen could feel the ramifications of that for days, with multiple players needing to exert themselves to “eat up” the missing innings relied upon for the starter.
Another key question is “Does he have the durability to start?” Even some players who have above-average stuff and at least average command may have high-effort deliveries, injury histories, or bodies that may not support the 100-plus innings many MLB starters are asked to contribute each season.
For fastball velocity, relievers tend to throw slightly harder than starters on average. Because they throw in shorter bursts, this also allows relievers to max out their velocity. There are also a number of relievers with below-average velocity who are aided by unique arm angles or movement.
Remember, there is no cookie-cutter approach to being a successful pitcher, and understanding all that goes into making someone projectable is important as a scout.
Another important distinction between relievers and starters is not a tool itself, but the number of pitches they throw. Many relievers either limit or eliminate their least effective pitches and instead throw their best stuff as often as possible. Because they have the benefit of generally not facing the lineup more than once, relievers do not have to save certain pitches to show later on.
The vast majority of MLB starting pitchers, on the other hand, generally throw at least three pitches. It’s the quality of those pitches or command that determines a pitcher’s role in the rotation itself.
The quality and consistency of the quality of that stuff is what separates back-end starters from front-of-rotation starters, just as it separates middle-inning relievers from high-leverage relievers.
Summary
These are not the only separators among pitchers. But these tools and questions will help you in projecting what role a pitching prospect will fill in the future.
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