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Don't ever make closer Huston Street pitch earlier than the ninth inning
Since he's been in the majors, Los Angeles Angels reliever Huston Street has always been used as a closer. When the ninth inning comes around, he knows it's time to perform.
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Traditionally, the best reliever in a team's bullpen gets designated the closer. In recent years, though, there's been an argument that using your best reliever in high-leverage situations is more valuable than saving your closer for a save opportunity that may never materialize.
Huston Street is not a fan of that thinking, according to David Alder of MLB.com.
"I'll retire if that ever happens," Street said. "If they ever tell me, 'Oh, we're gonna start using you in these high-leverage situations.' … All right, good. You now can go find someone else to do that, because I'm going home."
Street is referring to using closers in the earlier innings if the game dictates that situation. For example, if your team is leading by one run in the seventh inning, but the opponent has men on second and third with one out, you probably want your best reliever on the mound. That's often the closer.
Few managers do this, however, and will bring in an inferior option even though the game is on the lin. Let's say that player gives up both runs and your team loses by one. Now, you've lost a tight game and your best reliever (again, probably the closer) never got a chance to pitch. He was saved for a moment that never existed.
Street understands that, but he's still not a fan.
"People talk about how the game is decided right now mostly in the sixth and the seventh, sometimes the eighth. I think if you were to start using the closer in those types of innings, 25 years from now you'd start noticing most games are decided in the eighth and ninth," Street said.
We're not so sure about that last part, but Street clearly gets the concept.
Most of Street's argument stems from the fact that a bullpen functions better when players have designated roles.
"It's a ridiculous idea. It really is," Street said. "The fact is, a bullpen functions best when you have roles. If you want to have a good 'pen, you need three or four guys that you trust. And if you trust them, give them roles, so they know what they have to do every day.
"You talk to anybody that's ever been part of a bullpen where they don't know their roles -- it's the most miserable experience, it's the most miserable season. Every single player -- good relievers who know exactly what they're doing in a 'pen, know exactly how to warm up -- they absolutely hate it as a person."
It's an argument that's been used before. And, though we can't really prove whether that's true, it does make some sense. Relievers are creatures of habit. They might not know if they are going to pitch on a particular day, but they have an idea of what inning they may enter if they do get the call. Because of that, many relievers fall into a routine during games.
As Street explains in the piece, pitchers can't just "press a button and get loose." Many relievers will stretch an inning or two before they expect to enter the game. In that sense, pitching in the seventh or in the ninth could really screw up a player's preparation.
Street was adamant that he's open to pitching earlier in games, but only if that's his role. As the closer, he expects to get the call in the ninth when his team is leading.
We're torn here. Smart baseball says you should probably use your best pitcher in high-leverage situations. That gives your team the best chance to win. It's logical. It makes sense.
At the same time, we're not willing to dismiss that having a defined bullpen role might matter. Street may have exaggerated some of the side effects a team could suffer in an unorganized situation, but we can't completely discount some of his points.
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It is surprising to see how hard Street went against that position, though. In the past couple years, we've seen a few teams try out a closer by committee. Managers typically try it for about a week, but eventually default to the guy who saved two games in a role during that period.
This could be because managers want to stick with traditional bullpen usage. But, as Street's comments hint, it might be more about the bullpen's comfort than we realize.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
