Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins
Their expectations are completely different. A #3 starter is expected to be a better than league average pitcher. They will go deeper into games, too. They'll face more batters and thus have a bigger outcome on the team's success per start. A #5 starter is going to be, on average, one of the 30 worst starters in the league. They will give up more runs and work shorter outings. They put the team in worse positions and tax the bullpen harder on average.
Morever, many teams use off days as a way to skip the #5 if possible. Fives are also almost completely worthless in the postseason, as they are used either as long relief, mop up duty, or extra innings games only.
The difference between a #3 and a #5 in a H2H matchup may only be 5%, but when you multiply that by 34 starts it can make the difference between making the postseason or not.
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Let's try this. The Royals picked up Cueto. Which happened:
1) Cueto replaces Ventura as the 1, setting off a chain reaction where everyone moves down a slot
2) Cueto simply replaces Young