The saying, “you can never have too much pitching” is as cliche as it gets in baseball, but it has proven true time and time again. Depth is vital to the success of any baseball team. Although the 2012 regular-season Reds may have tried to prove differently, injuries are inevitable for a pitching staff. The best teams can plug those holes without a significant drop-off.
Each of the last two World Series winners had at least seven pitchers who made 10 or more starts. Last season, the Dodgers lost Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Rich Hill to injuries early in the season.