Players Required over the Years

Thursday, June 24 2021 @ 01:02 PM EDT

Just was thinking about the pen and how many were used there this year and the injuries so I thought 'how has this changed over the years'?

• In 1871 MLB had only 115 hitters used, 19 pitchers (14 starters, 7 relievers)
• The lowest number of hitters used was in 1878 with just 77 hitters in the majors, and 1877 had just 92.
• The lowest number of pitchers used was in 1974 - only 17 total (14 started, 10 relieved)
• 14 starters is the lowest total (1871/74), 7 relievers the lowest (1871).  Huh, 7 relievers is a normal game now isn't it?
  
• The lowest after 1900 (once the AL was formed) was 1904 with 364.1904 also was the lowest for pitchers at 129 (119/107 start/relief)
  
• Lowest in the Jays era (1977 on) was 1979 with 899 (34.6 per team).
• Most was 2019 with 1,410 (47 per team), 2012 was the last year with fewer hitters than the year before.
• 2020 was the first year to go down in # used since 2012, down to 1,289

• In 1876, when the NL was formed, 23 starters for 8 teams = 2.9 per team.
• In 1893, when the mound went to 60'6" 86 starters used for 12 teams = 7.2 per team.
• In 1901, when the AL became a major league 125 starters for 16 teams = 7.8 per team.
• In 1919, when the HR record was under 30, 165 starters were used for 16 teams = 10.3 per team - more than I expected
• In 1992 when the Jays first won the World Series there were 264 starters used for 26 teams = 10.2 per team
• In 2008 when Cito tried to do a 1989 but fell short, 304 starters used = 10.1 per team
• In 2016 for the Jays 2nd straight playoff appearance 315 pitchers used = 10.5 per team (starting to climb)
• In 2018 the Rays start using openers - 343 starters used (a record at the time) = 11.4 per team
  
• In 2019 368 needed for 30 teams (a record) = 12.3 per team
• In 2020 294 used = 9.8 per team, but just 60 games played so kind of hard to use as a measuring stick of any kind.
  

Clearly for starters things have shifted.  Underhand to overhand shifted from under 3 to 7-8, then it grew to just over 10 by 1919 when Ruth started mashing.  It stayed there for decades, through the Jays WS years. but the last 5 years it has jumped again.  Openers are the cause I'd say - shifting it as much as dead ball to live ball did.

For Relief pitchers....

• 1871: 7 relievers in all of MLB (9 teams) - under 1 per team.  The Fort Wayne Kekiongas used just 1 pitcher all season (19 games).
• 1876: 20 used over 8 teams = 2.5 per team.  2 using just 2 pitchers total each (Hartford Dark Blues & St. Louis Brown Stockings)
• 1890: Early peak set with 131 relievers over 25 teams = 5.2 per team
  
• 1901: AL begins, 114 used over 16 teams = 7.1 per team
• 1919: Just as Ruth starts to mash 186 used over 16 teams = 11.6 per team.
• 1988: Eck closing for TLR to great effect, use of LOOGY's becoming common 330 used over 26 teams = 12.7 per team, less of an increase than I expected
  
• 2007: new record, first time over 500 relievers used - 518 over 30 teams = 17.3 per team (OK, getting nuts)
• 2017: crack 600 used for first time - 610 over 30 teams = 20.3 per team (getting silly)
• 2019: almost cracked 700 - 698 used over 30 teams = 23.3 per team (new rules put in)
• 2020: 599 used = 19.97 per team - 60 game schedule makes it impossible to really compare.
  

Visual Summary...

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