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My LHP has been used very sparingly in relief in his last year of high school.

When I say sparingly, I’m talking 13 innings in seven appearances prior to entering playoffs. I’ve noticed that his ERA is a respectable 1.56 after relieving an RHP (nine innings of data) and it is 17.5 (four innings) when following another LHP

I’m not concerned about his college career since he has already committed. So my opinion would be that one should not relieve a LHP with another LHP in general. Is that a valid opinion?

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Well, that opinion has some merit but there are a whole lot of other things to consider.  13 innings is a really small sample size to draw too much from.  Typically, in HS, you would want to give your opponent a different look with a reliever.  But so many variables.  Maybe lefty #1 was very effective but hit a pitch count.  Maybe opponent has a bunch of LH hitters.  Maybe the two lefty pitchers have different styles, pitch types and velos.  Maybe the opponent runs well and a LHP can help shut that down.  Maybe some opponents flat out rake and some don't.  Maybe coach is limited by who his best options are and what the move will do to the rest of the lineup and defense....  just for starters. 

Yes, all things being equal, I'd prefer a righty after a lefty.  All things are never equal.  Heck, I'd also prefer that righty reliever throws 92 with pinpoint control and nasty stuff too.  Oh, wait, I don't have that.  In fact, after I rule out my starters, I save my fourth best pitcher to close and my fifth best is a lefty who throws seventy somethin' but has decent control.  Sometimes he gets outs.  Sometimes he gets racked. 

If the kid is a good P, he will get the job done more often than not.  Period.

Last edited by cabbagedad

ERA's are not a good of a measurement for relief pitchers since they often assume runners from other pitchers. 13 innings make the statistic even more meaningless and when talking about 4 innings, well it is a complete waste of time. (On top of that HS statistics generally are meaningless) It is what it is and when he gets to college his coaches will put him where he best fits their needs. Relax and enjoy the rest of his HS season. 

Follow-up question to this - 2016 has turned into the team's closer this year (when he had been a starter last year) and has been very effective.  His D3 school's season is over and they want to come see a game and asked him for his schedule (when we visited a few weeks ago).  Outside of the obvious challenge in that he's never 100% sure when he'll pitch - how should he frame it up to the HC or should he even worry about it?  Most of their games have been close so he's been highly utilized (7 appearances in the last 9 games) but that could change.  We plan on having 2016 tell his HS coach that college coach is coming and could he be used that game but I know w/o a doubt that HS coach will do whatever he thinks is needed that game - including not using 2016.  So it's kind of a crap shoot for a college coach visit.  

With the weather we've been having in NY the HS now has 8 games over 10 days so at least there are lots of games for them to pick from.  

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