There’s a line I’ve always loved in The Blind Side by Michael Lewis: Before NFL GMs realized the importance of offensive line play, a lineman was an “interchangeable homunculus.” The interchangeable homunculi of baseball are right-handed middle relievers–if you’re good enough to pitch in the big leauges, but not good enough to start or close, you get tossed into a bucket and bounce around from team to team, anonymously pitching the sixth and seventh innings until your body or the season expires, whichever comes first.
