The true value of bullpens can be seen in October. Andrew Miller is now famous for his 2016 work, Brad Peacock and Charlie Morton dominated baseball in the Astros’ World Series run last year, and in general teams are asking less and less of their starters come playoff time.
The latest trend in this structural shift to single-inning work is the effect September performance has on playoff usage. The Brewers, Braves and Astros all left off some of their most-used relievers from their Division Series rosters over concerns of overuse and the resulting ineffectiveness.