Final numbers:
2023: 959-928 +2587
Last year's numbers:
2022: 682-585 +8192
2022 Playoffs: 21.5-18.5 +72
Not nearly as good of a season as last year and the worst MLB season I can recall.
I think some of this is due to the rule changes and the analytics that are being used now. I think some of it is due to the new managerial moves with pitching.
I made some changes as the season went along but I will certainly have to look at making adjustments during the off-season.
Pitching has become somewhat less of a factor for me because of how quickly the pitchers are pulled now. Even though the studies do not really show much benefit on a pitcher's arm health with this, it looks like this is the plan going forward. Now, even if a pitcher has a reasonably low pitch count and a no-hitter going, the manager will still pull the pitcher when he reaches a certain pitch count. As soon as that pitcher gives up a hit he will also be pulled. So, I do not see pitchers ever again completing many games. A lot of this is due to how much money a team has invested in them.
This has also changed how a total can be played. Now I have to factor in the fact that a manager will often pull a pitcher after the first sign of what he seems to think is 'trouble'.
Then it seems the manager will just continue to change pitchers until he can find one that will give up hits and runs. Now they have a pitcher that will start the 7th inning, one that will start the 8th inning, and one that will start the 9th inning. The more teams do this the more they eventually find a pitcher that will start an inning with a walk, hit batter, wild pitch, and a double. Then they are forced to bring in yet another pitcher and it is another roll of the dice.
When a pitcher has a good 7th inning he still, more than likely, will not even come out for the 8th inning.
I think with there being so many teams and this new way of managing pitching that there are simply not enough good quality pitchers for this to work out well.
A rule change that I really do not like for totals is the 'phantom' runner in extra innings. This can really skew a game's total. A game can go to the 10th inning 2-2, or even 1-1, and still go way over the total because of this change coupled with the lack of quality pitching at this point in a game.
Another issue I have with this 'phantom' runner rule is that teams no longer play to move a runner around and score them with 'small-ball' tactics. So, it can turn what should be a low scoring game into a high scoring game very quickly with the bad pitching and the emphasis on long-ball hitting now.
All of this changing of pitching during a game can also take away a very good effort from a starter and turn it into a loss. So, this also makes picking a side trickier knowing you have to factor in 2,3, or even 4 relievers also having a decent day. The problem is the more relievers a manager tries in a particular game the more he adds variance to that game.
I understand the reasons for these changes and I think they are here to stay. So, I will have to continue to make adjustments.
It will be very interesting during the playoffs if the managers still do it as much as they did in the regular season. Maybe in the playoffs they will be more apt to stick with a quality pitcher deeper into the game.