The Most Important Position

One of the easy reasons to hate/make fun of the Dodgers is because of their overabundance of starting pitching.  I like to joke that they have 15 starting pitchers on the roster.  But during the playoffs, and especially during the NLCS, they showed us why they're so invested in their rotation.  Because it's the most important position on the field!  As the old cliche goes, "You can never have too much starting pitching."  The Dodgers are Exhibit A of that.

The Brewers had the best record in baseball and went 6-0 against the Dodgers this season.  In the NLCS, they did absolutely nothing.  Dodgers pitching is the reason for that.  More specifically, Dodgers starting pitching.  They didn't give Milwaukee a chance.  And it's carried them back to the World Series for the second straight season and the fifth time in nine years.

It isn't just the Dodgers, either.  The Yankees beat the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series because of Cam Schlittler's dominant performance in the decisive Game 3.  The Blue Jays got back into the ALCS because of the starts they got from Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer in Games 3 & 4 in Seattle.  So, multiple teams in this postseason have proven true another old baseball adage.  "You're only as good as the next day's starting pitcher."

That's part of what makes the modern approach to baseball so infuriating to watch.  The value of quality starting pitching has been proven time and again.  Especially in October (the only month that actually matters).  So why is it so devalued?  So many teams can't wait to get to their bullpens and their parade of guys throwing 100 mph that they pull their starter at the first opportunity.  What will all those teams be doing next week?  Watching the Dodgers and all of their starting pitchers in another World Series.

This isn't a new phenomenon, of course.  Baseball's been trending this way for quite a while.  The complete game is a relic.  That's why it was so refreshing to see Yoshinobu Yamamoto throw one in Game 2 of the NLCS.  Normally, as soon as the starter hits 100 pitches or the leadoff hitter comes up for the third time, it's time to get him no matter how well he's pitching and go to the bullpen, hoping that they don't blow it.

Meanwhile, who are the guys making the most money?  Your frontline starters or your middle relievers?  That's the part of this whole obsession with bullpens that has never made any sense.  With the exception of closers and some setup guys, relievers are generally the weakest pitchers on the team.  The starters are the best.  That's why they're starters.  So, why are you taking out the better guy for somebody who's worse?

I know that analogy doesn't quite hold true as much anymore with how bullpens are deployed and how some pitchers are groomed specifically to be dominant relievers.  The basic point remains, though.  The money is invested in the rotation.  Starting pitchers only pitch once every five days and will make roughly 33-34 starts a season if they stay healthy all season, yet they make the most money.  Meanwhile, they're expected to do less and less (which, it should be noted, usually isn't by choice).  The logic makes no sense!

Another telling sign is how pitchers are deployed during the postseason.  Granted, the postseason is a completely different animal where you can and will do different things than you would in the regular season.  But who are managers trusting to get key outs in late game situations?  I'll give you a hint--it's not the relievers.  They're willing to go to starters in the unfamiliar position of coming out of the bullpen because they trust them more.  What does that tell you?

We've seen plenty of situations when leaving the starter in too long has backfired.  (Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, which is really how all of this got started.)  We've seen the reverse way too often, too.  A questionable pulling of the starter early when he still had plenty left and the bullpen proceeded to blow the game.  (Blake Snell in the 2020 World Series, anyone?)  It's obviously not an exact science.  These decisions are the toughest ones for managers to make, and they often determine who's hoisting the trophy at the end.

My main point remains, though.  A dominant starting pitcher is the most valuable weapon in baseball.  If you're able to get multiple dominant performances out of your starting rotation in the same series, that's a recipe for success.  And it's not just the 2025 Dodgers.  How many teams have reached the World Series on the strength of their starting pitching?  How many teams load up on starters either in the offseason or at the trade deadline because they know its importance?  How often is the team with the perceived best starting pitching deemed the World Series favorite either before the season or before the playoffs?

Even with the way the game has evolved and bullpen usage has become more prevalent, the importance of good starting pitching hasn't changed.  If anything, it's become even more important.  As the Dodgers have shown us.  Last season, they won the World Series despite only having three healthy starters.  This season, all of their starters are healthy, and what a difference it's made!  They're back in the World Series on the strength of their starting pitching.  

Granted, most teams can't stockpile starting pitchers the way the Dodgers have.  So, yes, in that regard, their financial might gives them an unfair advantage.  But their emphasis on starting pitching displays a greater point.  The starting pitcher is the most important guy on the field, and the best teams generally have the best starting pitching.  And, if you have good starting pitching, you should want to use it.  You shouldn't be so eager to pull them to get to a parade of relievers.  Especially since you're counting on all of those relievers being on.

Will the Dodgers' postseason dominance result in a change in how starting pitchers are utilized and bullpens are deployed?  Most likely not.  But maybe it should.  Because starting pitchers are among the most valuable players on the team in terms of salary.  Shouldn't they see that value reflected in how they're used, as well?  Make them earn all that money they're being paid!

Quality starting pitching has never been more important.  Yet, at the same time, so many teams act as if it's so unimportant...and those teams are the ones that will be sitting home watching the Dodgers in another World Series.  It's quite the paradox, isn't it?