I think we’re at a fairly interesting crossroads in baseball. On the one hand, you have the declining importance of the starting pitcher. Fewer and fewer pitchers are qualifying for the ERA title, with just 57 such pitchers in 2018. In 2017 that number was 58, and in 2015 there were 78 qualified pitchers. In just four years the number of “qualified” starters dropped 27%.
The number of true workhorse pitchers, the classic 200-inning man, is also declining. In 2015, 28 pitchers threw 200 innings, and since then the number has dropped off considerably. Fifteen 200 inning pitchers were seen in 2016, and 13 each of the last two years.