Utilizing an extra roster spot

[jorgenswest]

It is possible rosters will expand to 26 players.

 

How will teams best utilize a 26th roster spot? How should the Twins utilize it?

 

1) Teams could add a bat and create a platoon on a corner. Platooning was so frequent and used wisely when pitching staffs were 10 men. As extra arms appeared more valuable than platoons, few teams platoon in more than one position and many have no true platoon. If you have a 13 man pitching staff, the bench is filled with your reserve up the middle players. I look forward to seeing how teams take advantage of an extra bat.

 

2) Teams could add an extra arm to the bullpen and create more favorable match ups later in the game. I do not look forward to even more mid inning calls to the bullpen lengthening an already too long game. Some kind of rule like teams are allowed to make one mid inning pitching change or a minimum of three batters must be faced before a second mid inning change would be helpful.

 

3) Teams could stash a player from the rule 5 draft more easily. In the Twins case, that might be the best rthing use. Unfortunately changes in rule 5 eligibility a some years ago make it much more unlikely that a Johan Santana would be available. A stashed player sitting on the bench while losing a year of development and then returning to the minors for a year or two is a long time to wait for a pay off.

 

4) Teams could add a 6th starter. If it would truly keep arms healthy it could be a positive long term. I am skeptical that adding a 6th starter would help keep the top 5 healthy but some teams may go with this plan. I think it costs your top few starters 5 starts each with little gain.

 

How else might teams use an extra roster spot? How should the Twins use the potential extra roster spot?

[Blake]

3) Teams could stash a player from the rule 5 draft more easily. In the Twins case, that might be the best rthing use. Unfortunately changes in rule 5 eligibility a some years ago make it much more unlikely that a Johan Santana would be available. A stashed player sitting on the bench while losing a year of development and then returning to the minors for a year or two is a long time to wait for a pay off.

 

But, it might also be a way to put some players back in the farms system outside of the regular draft. Have to think in terms of 3 or 4 drafts rather than just one Rule 5.

[Thrylos]

I think that teams would utilize best the 26th (and 23rd, 24th and 25th) roster, by rotating the three hottest arms and the hottest bat on the 40-man roster between AAA and the majors.  This would give them the hottest fifth starter and 2 pen arms, allowing the ones that cool off to spend that spell in the minors.

 

Of course, it would require getting rid of some old veterans without options to make it happen, which should be what a rebuilding team is doing anyways...

[CJP]

A 26 man roster is a must for the way the game is played today. Teams can specialize to strengths they have on their 40 man roster. The Royals could keep players like Terrence Gore on the roster year round and that will change the outcome of many games. Other teams could use the extra spot to rest their players more frequently. A 6 man rotation would come in handy for some teams later in the season (especially with young arms). A team could also stock up on bullpen arms and use their best relievers at the highest leverage moments in the game. Think of what Cleveland could do with another middle reliever to cover down. Of course the extra platoon options makes this another great option.

[jimmer]

It should be 26 or even 27.   And teams should only be allowed 13 pitchers.

[Tom Froemming]

It wouldn't surprise me if the majority of teams just started carrying a third catcher. Kinda lame, but it would open things up for managers to pinch hit or pinch run for their starting catcher without that fear they're an injury away from playing their emergency guy (I think for the Twins that was Escobar last year. can you imagine that?).

[Shaitan]

I think it would be a specialist in most cases, someone who can handle stretches on the bench and pinch hitting vs playing everyday. In other words: platoon types, 3rd catchers, defensive liability bat-first veterans and such.

Know the Twins of old, it would be so they can carry a 16th pitcher for when the other 3 mop-up guys are overworked.

 

[DocBauer]

To me its clearly another bench bat/platoon bat. Even in today's baseball world, most teams, IMO, would carry 12 pitchers and 13 max. But the benches are getting pretty short these days.

 

The 3rd catcher idea makes sense to a degree, but would make more sense if that 3rd catcher was also a DH/1B/OF. I just don't know day in and day out if a 3rd catcher who would seldom play is wise usage of the spot.

[jorgenswest]

A third catcher in the form of a Ryan Doumit who would rarely have to catch might be useful.

 

The idea of a shuttle is interesting but possibly not practical. Seems like teams would have more of a need for a shuttle with a 25 man roster and no one does it over the long term. The Yankees rotated a lot of arms for a stretch this season by optioning, designating and claiming. They used 29 pitchers. It is hard to see how they were better off last year or in the future switching between Phil Coke, Anthony Swarzak, Kirby Yates, Tyler Olson, Ben Heller...

 

I hope the result is an increase in platooning. More bats on the bench to counter pitching moves may reduce the value of a situational reliever. That is assuming there are more corner guys that can hit but don't have jobs.

[AceWrigley]

Expanding the roster to 26 is a good thing considering how many pitchers are carried on the roster these days.   I wish MLB would also include eliminating the DH and adding the Free Hitter rule. 

 

The "Free Hitter" is a pinch hitter (anybody from the bench who hasn't appeared in the lineup yet) who can be used once per game and when announced as the Free Hitter, can be used again in any normal strategy or roster move.   Also, the player in the lineup who the Free Hitter batted for remains in the lineup as normal.   Its a free pinch hitting chance that doesn't effect the lineup.

 

This way a bench player could pinch hit twice in a game, once as the Free Hitter and once as a Pinch Hitter.  If so used, this could add up to 324 plate appearances in a season if he was used this way every game.  Only 8 DH's got that many plate appearances this year.

 

This would allow pitchers to bat, relieve roster depth issues and add new strategies.   Do you keep a DH type on the roster or spread those at bats around to keep part-time players fresh?   Use the Free Hitter early in the game for your starting pitcher to help push some early runs across?   Save it for later in the game so your closer can come in in the 8th inning for needed crucial outs and not have to remove him because he bats the next inning?   Use a weak hitting glove man as a regular and use the Free Hitter for him during a rally?

 

I use this strategy playing Time Travel baseball (table-top dice game) and its a blast.   I once had Willie McCovey out of the lineup because of injury (he could pinch hit only) and with the Free Hitter he batted twice and swatted 2 homeruns.  Oh yeah!