As we enter August, we find ourselves in the final 30% of the 2024 MLB regular season. This signifies that postseason races are intensifying, allowing for more in-depth discussions about who is deserving of which award. Additionally, teams are becoming increasingly anxious regarding their pitchers and how to manage the long 162-game season (and postseason!) without risking injury or needing to shut anyone down.
Younger pitchers need particular attention as their workloads surpass anything they have previously experienced. While we often refer to these as innings limits, it’s a far more intricate issue. Teams keep track of high-stress pitches and innings while also observing any alterations in a pitcher’s mechanics or pitch shape, among other factors. It’s not merely about total inning counts.
That being said, innings served as a useful indicator of workload and provide insight into who is performing at greater lengths into the season than before. The concern isn’t solely about injuries; while that’s undeniably crucial (we all want our pitchers to remain healthy), what use is a promising young pitcher if he runs out of steam and becomes ineffective during the postseason? Managing pitcher workloads poses significant challenges.
With this context established, let’s analyze pitchers from contending teams who have already logged substantial playing time in 2024. Our focus remains on contenders since they will significantly depend on their pitching staff come October. The Chicago White Sox can afford to shut down Garrett Crochet—who has nearly doubled his previous career-high inning count—because they are currently out of contention.
Here’s an overview of five pitchers facing workload concerns that contending teams must navigate over the coming weeks, along with several others worth noting.
In his inaugural full season back from Tommy John surgery, Luis Gil has emerged as a revelation for the Yankees this year. Although optioned to minor-league camp on March 3rd, he returned when Gerrit Cole succumbed to elbow nerve inflammation just one week later and subsequently secured the No. 5 starter position. Gil transitioned from being a fill-in starter to New York’s most reliable and consistent pitcher—and he’s also prominently featured among candidates for AL Rookie of the Year honors.
This marks Gil’s first complete season following Tommy John surgery; after undergoing surgery in May 2022, he had two brief rehab appearances last September but has now surpassed his prior career-high inning count impressively.
Evidently, Gil’s performance remains strong—boasting an impressive ERA of 3.33 throughout July while limiting opponents to a .202/.282/.354 batting line—and all metrics concerning his pitching attributes (velocity, spin rate, movement) have shown consistency throughout the entire campaign. However, there was an alteration regarding his arm slot; specifically dropping it during June led his changeup to flatten out slightly:
Luis Gil’s arm slot dropped briefly in June and early July. Baseball Savant
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During a four-start stretch from June 14 to July 2, Gil experienced the four lowest release points of his season. The Yankees attributed this to a mechanical issue rather than fatigue, and it seems Gil has successfully addressed that concern. His release point has consistently returned to its optimal range over his last four outings, leading to an improvement in performance. It appears that this brief period was merely a slump.
“First and foremost, Luis Gil hasn’t built up a lengthy track record of innings in recent years,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake explained recently (via New York Post). “We’ve been quite clear that we won’t impose an arbitrary innings limit on him. Instead, we’ll focus on how he responds to the current workload—assessing his performance between starts, evaluating recovery in both the weight room and training facility, and analyzing how his metrics are trending over time. All these factors are crucial for making more informed decisions about him.”
Having turned 26 in June, Gil has begun receiving additional rest from the Yankees over the past few weeks. They utilized the All-Star break for a substantial nine-day reprieve between starts. When he pitches again Tuesday night, it will follow seven days of rest due to several recent off-days. With three additional off-days scheduled this month, Gil’s schedule inherently provides him with ample recovery time.
Clarke Schmidt is still several weeks away from returning following his lat strain injury. Rookie Will Warren stepped up admirably for an MLB debut spot start last week. If they plan on skipping any of Gil’s upcoming starts as the season progresses, they’ll need either Schmidt’s return or must allow Warren more opportunities on the mound. While pursuing the AL East title creates urgency for every start by Gil—fewer appearances could diminish their chances for division success—it may also enhance their playoff prospects.
So far this season, Gil has managed his workload effectively and transitioned from being a temporary fill-in for Cole into an essential rotation member. Although moving him into the bullpen might be beneficial towards limiting work down-the-stretch approach considerations; given that Schmidt remains sidelined while Marcus Stroman struggles (with a 6.32 ERA since June 1), keeping Gil within rotation is crucial—particularly as he has already exceeded previous career innings pitch totals.
The Royals struck gold at last summer’s trade deadline when they acquired Ragans (and another prospect) in exchange for rental player Aroldis Chapman. While it’s clear that the Texas Rangers have no regrets following their World Series victory stemming from this trade; Ragans has emerged as one of baseball’s premier pitchers since then with an impressive 3.11 ERA complemented by 248 strikeouts across 205⅔ innings pitched with Kansas City.
At just 26 years old—and having undergone Tommy John surgery twice (in March 2018 and May 2019)—Ragans shows no signs of arm trouble after recovering fully during both procedures yet finds himself right back at previous career workloads.
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This season, the Dodgers have employed 17 different starting pitchers, with seven of them making at least seven starts. Among these pitchers, Stone and Tyler Glasnow have remained the most reliable. Stone, who is 25 years old, secured a rotation spot during spring training and has had a commendable rookie season. However, his recent performances have been challenging: he currently holds a 7.15 ERA along with an opponent’s batting line of .375/.405/.683 over his last five starts.
“He’s been our most consistent starter in terms of taking the mound and providing us with length,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated following Stone’s latest outing (via Orange County Register). “However, if you look back since his shutout against the White Sox on June 26th, it hasn’t mirrored what he was achieving in the initial months of the season. I’m uncertain whether it’s fatigue; from what I’ve gathered from our team, he still feels strong and has maintained fastball velocity during outings as before. That’s promising information. Whether it’s fatigue remains to be seen.”
In recent seasons, Los Angeles has struggled to maintain pitcher health—particularly with young power throwers—but Stone notably stands out as an exception. He possesses a clean injury history along with solid innings pitched.
Stone also threw for a total of 121 2/3 innings in 2022. His current workload isn’t unprecedented as he’s only made two out of twenty starts under standard rest conditions. The Dodgers take care to provide their pitchers additional rest whenever feasible, often utilizing bullpen games for necessary reliefs that benefit Stone significantly without altering his performance metrics as his innings increase.
<pNevertheless, there has been noticeable regression in Stone's performance over the last month or so; Roberts did not entirely rule out fatigue as a possible factor contributing to this decline. It's essential to understand that not all innings carry equal weight—Major League innings are inherently more strenuous and taxing compared to those pitched in Minor Leagues; thus while on paper he appears healthy at just over 111 innings this year relative to last year's count of approximately 132 innings is misleading regarding overall strain.
Currently rehabbing Walker Buehler returns alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto who has started throwing again while Bobby Miller and Landon Knack (alongside Justin Wrobleski) remain active participants within Triple-A ranks; however Miller missed Friday’s game due to adductor tightness concerns which leaves room for potential adjustments should they need time off from pitching duties moving forward due factors such declining output suggesting exhaustion might weigh on him only visibly impacting execution rather than affecting quality delivery directly thus far despite other indicators being promising overall throughout all sessions conducted collectively leading into decisions taken now henceforth advancing down stretches ahead seamlessly thereafter subsequently long term planned accordingly versus any pressing issues derived thereby hereafter.”
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Currently, Yu Darvish is away from the Padres due to a family matter, while Joe Musgrove has been sidelined with elbow inflammation since late May. As a result, San Diego’s most experienced pitchers have only made 21 combined starts this season. Consequently, Dylan Cease has stepped up significantly and performed exceptionally well lately, alongside several pitchers in their first full season as major league starters.
King was primarily a starter in the minors—logging 161 1/3 innings in 2018—but for most of 2021 to 2023, he served as an effective high-leverage reliever for the Yankees. Late last year, they transitioned him back into starting roles where he excelled impressively enough to become a key component in the Juan Soto trade. Throughout this season, King has remained part of the rotation and has continued to pitch exceptionally well lately.
What makes his situation stand out is that although he’s not particularly young (King turns 29 soon), he does possess experience handling a starter’s workload. However, it’s been quite some time since he’s done so effectively; this year already sees him surpassing his total inning counts from previous seasons: exceeding those of 2023 (104 2/3), 2022 (51), or even 2021 (69). It’s uncertain whether King or the Padres can accurately anticipate how fatigue will impact him going forward and how best to manage his innings.
“My body feels great,” King stated last month while discussing his workload (via San Diego Union-Tribune). “I’m pleased with that. I’ve collaborated effectively with trainers and strength coaches to ensure my body stays prepared no matter how many innings I end up pitching. The first half was decent; there’s certainly still room for improvement but I’m making progress each time.”
Vásquez joined King in the Soto trade and is currently a promising pitcher at age 25 who comes with an established innings base after throwing over 100 innings each year from 2021-23; he’s steadily closing in on that benchmark again this year. Lately performing superbly—allowing just two runs or fewer during seven of his last nine outings—the Padres may need to consider providing him some additional rest down the stretch.
Similar to King but distinctively different regarding experience level is Waldron who will turn 28 next month and has spent nearly all of his career as a starter. Excluding the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, Waldron averaged approximately126.5 innings annually from 2019 through 2023. Notably,Waldron incorporates knuckleball pitches, utilizing it around 40% of the time—a throw considered less physically demanding compared to others.
Among these three Padres’ pitchers evaluated here today,Waldron appears best suited for sustained performance without restrictions going forward.Vásquez still being relatively young might require monitoring throughout later stages.King presents unique complexities: despite prior inning loads accumulated over years gone by,it hasn’t remained consistent recently tracking upward.Management may require adjustments focused around mechanics alongside analyzing pitch shapes concerning maintaining workloads effectively moving onward .
Others Worth Watching
Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants: In another notable performance over Saturday night,Harrison surpassed 100inningsforthird consecutiveseason.His peak thus far remains113inns thrownlastyearas Giants recently opted shifting Jordan Hicks formerly relieving –now bullpen placement due closely an overwhelming work load.Duplicationof approach amongst Harrison also seems plausible particularlywith Robbie Ray now availableto contribute during final stretch towards playoffs awaiting ahead .
Tanya Houck& Kutter Crawford,Boston Red Sox: Houck(134inns)Crawford(127 )both28Years oldare nearing previousequalentrypointsattheiroutlookinruns allowed after enduring lengthy shortagehighlightedby12homersgivenupthroughfinalthreestarts aside indicatingpossiblefatigue.Crawfordnegatesgivingbreathertowardsrotationdepthmeasures which prove challengingshould suchthought emerge adhered beyond openingsfromBrayanBellowho currently trailsbehindtimesetbackearlieramidlatinjuryofapproximately50innings yet unfound comparable deadlines stemming forth continuingpressures .
Bryce Miller Seattle Mariners:Millercurrentlyaccountstoage26within forthcomingweeks thrown133⅔overoccurrenceswithin leadupstohisreturnsafelytouchingupon151 on219 weeks pastfoundations yrsoffinishingjamsgame132throughlimitedperformancesattemptsremainingforthew’soperation prospects.Pursuanceto forfeitingnear-impacthasBryanWoo looking at57less than yesterday’scounts missed recoverycircumstances relatedintimate encountersalongframestitchadjustmentsthusdeterminingwhatrouteaspectsmatteroftime involved comingpassage.”””
<p:Grayson Rodriguez Baltimore Orioles:: Rodriguez leadsat24yearsoldreaches116⅔thisyearcompared163⅓remainsessentialinOriconsiderations-looking-outacrossultimate metricsfitwhilemonitoringsufficientworkloadsenteritseasonpost featuring readily intuitive discussions planned upon targetingplayoff orchestrationsexpected pursuingpotential meritsundeniablyobservedendinggroundstrip.
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Managing the Workload: Key Pitchers to Monitor as MLB Postseason Approaches
The Importance of Workload Management in Baseball
As the MLB postseason approaches, effective management of player workloads, particularly among key pitchers, becomes crucial. The intensity of playoff games amplifies the need for franchises to monitor their pitchers’ health and performance closely. This article delves into key pitchers to watch, strategies for managing their workloads, and the implications for teams aiming to secure a championship.
Key Pitchers to Monitor
Identifying the pitchers who will be pivotal during the postseason is essential for fans and teams alike. Below are some notable pitchers whose performances could significantly impact their teams’ playoff success:
| Pitcher Name | Team | ERA | Innings Pitched | Strikeouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees | 2.90 | 186.1 | 239 |
| Max Scherzer | Texas Rangers | 3.36 | 162.2 | 204 |
| Corbin Burnes | Milwaukee Brewers | 3.10 | 197.0 | 238 |
| Shane McClanahan | Tampa Bay Rays | 3.49 | 166.2 | 211 |
| Jacob deGrom | Texas Rangers | 3.08 | 140.0 | 128 |
Workload Management Strategies for October
To ensure that these key pitchers are at their best when it matters most, teams must implement effective workload management strategies. Here are some practical tips:
1. Monitoring Pitch Counts
- Track pitch counts closely during both regular season and postseason games.
- Establish a threshold that accounts for the pitcher’s health history and current form.
2. Limiting Innings Pitched
- Consider skipping a start or using a bullpen game to give top pitchers extra rest.
- Prioritize matchups to optimize effectiveness without overworking pitchers.
3. Utilizing Advanced Metrics
- Employ analytics to evaluate pitcher fatigue, including velocity drop-offs and spin rate changes.
- Leverage tools like TrackMan and Statcast for real-time data analysis.
4. Recovery Protocols
- Incorporate structured recovery routines, such as ice baths and massage therapy.
- Ensure adequate sleep and nutrition tailored to individual pitcher needs.
The Impact of Workload Management on Performance
Proper workload management can lead to several benefits for teams during the postseason:
- Increased Longevity: By managing workloads, teams can extend the careers of their star pitchers.
- Enhanced Performance: Rested pitchers are more likely to perform at their peak during high-pressure games.
- Reduced Injury Risk: Limiting innings and pitches can decrease the likelihood of serious injuries.
Case Studies: Successful Workload Management
Case Study 1: The Los Angeles Dodgers
In the 2020 MLB postseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers were meticulous in managing the workloads of their top pitchers, including Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. By strategically utilizing their bullpen and giving established starters extra rest days, they were able to win the World Series, demonstrating the effectiveness of workload management.
Case Study 2: The Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays have long been recognized for their innovative approach to pitching. In the 2021 postseason, they utilized a combination of openers and traditional starters, which allowed them to effectively manage the innings pitched by their key pitchers like Shane McClanahan. This strategy kept their pitchers fresh, although they ultimately fell short of a championship.
Real-World Experience: Insights from Coaches
Coaches across Major League Baseball have shared valuable insights regarding workload management:
“It’s all about balancing the rhythm of the game with the long-term health of our pitchers. Every pitch counts, especially in October.” – Anonymous MLB Coach
“We’ve learned that listening to the pitchers and being proactive about their workloads can prevent serious injuries and improve performance during critical games.” – Anonymous MLB Pitching Coach
Monitoring Player Health and Performance
In addition to workload management, teams must ensure that their pitchers are in optimal health as the postseason approaches. Here are some key factors to monitor:
1. Injury History
- Review each pitcher’s previous injuries and establish protocols to mitigate risks.
- Communicate openly with players about their physical condition.
2. Physical Conditioning
- Implement tailored strength and conditioning programs.
- Regularly assess fitness levels to ensure readiness for the postseason.
3. Mental Health
- Provide mental health support, as playoff pressure can impact performance.
- Encourage open discussions about stress management and coping strategies.
Future Trends in Pitcher Workload Management
As teams continue to evolve in their approach to pitcher management, several trends are emerging that could redefine strategies in the postseason:
- Enhanced Analytics: The use of data analytics will continue to grow, providing deeper insights into pitcher performance and fatigue.
- Wearable Technology: Teams are beginning to incorporate wearable devices to monitor pitchers’ biometrics in real-time.
- Increased Focus on Mental Health: Teams are recognizing the importance of mental health in performance, leading to more resources dedicated to player wellness.
Conclusion
As the MLB postseason approaches, managing pitcher workloads is paramount for success. By closely monitoring key pitchers, utilizing effective management strategies, and focusing on player health, teams can enhance their chances of making a deep playoff run. Understanding the nuances of workload management is essential for any franchise looking to compete for a championship.
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