Talk:Swingman

I'm not sure if it's really true that Lefty Grove and similar pitchers were what we would describe today as swingmen. Grove and his contemporaries were part of a rotation, or as close to a rotation as could be managed given the schedules of the time. Their relief appearances were generally in addition to their starting duties, and their next start didn't get pushed back a full turn because they appeared in relief.

A swingman is the product of a different situation. His team has a regular rotation of pitchers who are expected to take their turn, and the swingman fills in when there's a doubleheader or the real starters need an extra day of rest. Because the need for an extra start is at least somewhat predictable, the swingman will be used out of the pen when the manager knows that he won't be needed. He'll get many fewer starts than the true starters and many fewer relief appearances than the key relievers. --Roger 13:34, 10 May 2006 (EDT)

I adjusted the content a bit. Let me know what you think. - --Mischa 19:26, 10 May 2006 (EDT)

That looks a bit better. I made a couple of minor edits and mentioned that managers will sometimes use their 5th starter as a swingman early in the season to take advantage of extra rest days. --Roger 20:40, 10 May 2006 (EDT)