Sep 17, 2026 · 4 min · 4 segments
Steve Forbes calls out the trend of MLB teams putting position players on the pitcher's mound to finish games, and offers suggestions on how to end this foolish practice. Learn more about your ad…
Steve ForbesHost
Baseball fans are more and more witnessing a curious event that is both farcical and exasperating.
That is, taking a position player like a first baseman and putting him on the pitching mound to pitch.
Once upon a time, a starting pitcher was expected to go for the full nine innings.
Relievers were seen as people who didn't have what it took to make the big time on the mound.
A starter who actually hurls a complete game these days is as rare as a silent politician.
Teams realized that the best way to stymie batters was having pitchers go for maximum speed on nearly every pitch.
The increased velocity of pitching is one reason why MLB batting averages have been trending down for years.
The need to preserve the health of pitching arms is why we are more and more being treated to the spectacle of using regular players to go on the mound to finish games where a team is woefully behind.
Why waste a reliever on a hopeless cause? You might need him in a competitive game the next day.
As the season closes, managers are even more protective of their relievers as their teams compete for making it to the playoffs.
These faux relievers are instructed not to throw fast or do anything that might injure them.
The Chicago Cubs recently set a franchise record of home runs in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Baseball purists are asking if homers hit off such foe pitchers shouldn't be treated in the future with an asterisk since there are no more real four baggers than a ball whacked in batting practice.
The practice of using position players to close games that are blowouts has grown in recent years.
MLB passed some rules to restrict the practice in 2023, but is now becoming routine for fans to see someone on the mound tossing an alleged fastball at, say, 30 miles an hour versus the usual 100 miles per hour.
Baseball fans are more and more witnessing a curious event that is both farcical and exasperating.
That is, taking a position player like a first baseman and putting him on the pitching mound to pitch.
Once upon a time, a starting pitcher was expected to go for the full nine innings.
Relievers were seen as people who didn't have what it took to make the big time on the mound.
A starter who actually hurls a complete game these days is as rare as a silent politician.
Teams realized that the best way to stymie batters was having pitchers go for maximum speed on nearly every pitch.
The increased velocity of pitching is one reason why MLB batting averages have been trending down for years.
The need to preserve the health of pitching arms is why we are more and more being treated to the spectacle of using regular players to go on the mound to finish games where a team is woefully behind.
Why waste a reliever on a hopeless cause? You might need him in a competitive game the next day.
As the season closes, managers are even more protective of their relievers as their teams compete for making it to the playoffs.
These faux relievers are instructed not to throw fast or do anything that might injure them.
The Chicago Cubs recently set a franchise record of home runs in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Baseball purists are asking if homers hit off such foe pitchers shouldn't be treated in the future with an asterisk since there are no more real four baggers than a ball whacked in batting practice.
The practice of using position players to close games that are blowouts has grown in recent years.
MLB passed some rules to restrict the practice in 2023, but is now becoming routine for fans to see someone on the mound tossing an alleged fastball at, say, 30 miles an hour versus the usual 100 miles per hour.
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