What stats show that the “fireman” would be better than the closer? I have only seen discussions about bringing in the best guy in the pen in high leverage situations, but I have not seen any real stats showing one is better than the other.

I think the main difference between the times of the fireman and the closer is that so many pitchers now throw 95-100 and are strikeout pitchers; so if you need one, you do not necessarily have to rely on a single guy.

The biggest problem with pitchers now is that they have a brain, and that brain only functions well in certain situations. I can’t tell you how many times I have read about pitchers in the pen saying they have all found their roles and how it helps them all. Personally, I only believe in one roll for a pitcher, “Do not allow any runs”, no matter the inning or situation. But my brain functions typically better than that of the average pitcher.

While I think having a smaller pen and a fireman to rely on would be great, I don’t think it has a prayer of working for more than a few clubs. You need pitchers whose brains works well in any situation, you need a starting rotation that typically goes into the 7th inning, and you need a couple of guys who do not care about “saves” and other stats. Look at K-Rod, if he doesn’t come in as the closer, all hell breaks loose. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Brew Crew.