[itsmb8]

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

I think that's basically correct. Nobody goes into pro ball thinking "I'm going to be the best middle reliever ever!" I'd go further and say that most closers probably began as starters as well. Mariano Rivera, for instance, had 68 starts in the minors and 10 starts in his first season with the Yankees before being converted into a full-time closer.

Teams draft pitchers, not relievers and starters, and there's a premium on starters - after all, they pitch over 50% of a team's innings but only represent about 40% of a team's staff. Just from a cost/benefit perspective, therefore, a team gets more "bang for its buck" when it develops a starter.

I'd agree, then, that relievers are, for the most part, guys who couldn't cut it as starters. OOTP doesn't do a very good job reflecting that fact. In my experience, the distinction between starters and relievers is set at the draft and doesn't change much in the minors. That's not realistic.

What would happen if you changed every RP's position in the game to SP? Im curious as to what would happen with roster, rotation, and bullpen logic.