Should Atlanta Braves Exile Mike Foltynewicz to the Bullpen?

Small Sample Size and the urge for instant gratification

You’re the only one who knows who you picked in from that group and I don’t really want to know.  If however you said that any of those gentlemen with control issues and 5+ ERAs were bullpen bound you were wrong; very wrong. To quiet your curiosity they pitchers are:

• A. Roy Halladay.
• B. John Smoltz
• C, Mike Scott
• D. Steve Avery

As I recall none of these pitchers was relegated to the bullpen just because their first nine starts weren’t stellar, of course things are different today. Today we analyze every player to death and frequently draw erroneous conclusions from a sample size so small it’s laughable.

Back in 2010 Mike Fast wrote a post for the Hardball Times titled “The Internet Cried a Little When You Wrote That.”  I try to reread it often and one of the quotes from that page that sticks with me all the time goes like this.

"“It’s easy to look stupid doing baseball analysis. Anyone who hasn’t isn’t trying. But you shouldn’t make it any easier that in has to be.. . . “"

He was talking about Pitch F/X data but using the same diligence with all data should apply not only to those of us writing our opinions for your amusement but also to those voicing their opinion while implying an understanding of the data (if any) they are using. This bring me back to Foltynewicz and his role.

Next: He's got the power