Among the many fascinating things that happened to the Rockies in 2012 is the fact that Jeff Francis led the pitching staff in innings pitched. Francis didn't sign with Colorado until June 8, a few days after the Reds released him from their Triple-A club. He made his first start for the Rockies on June 9 and surrendered eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Francis pitched better after that, although his performance was hardly cause for excitement. He made his starts and logged as many innings as the Rockies’ strict pitch count would allow. He ended up with 113 innings, becoming the only man on the staff to break triple digits. Does that seem unusual? Well, it is.
Francis' total was the lowest for a team leader since 1891, when George Davies paced the Milwaukee Brewers with 102 innings. I know; the Milwaukee Brewers didn't join the American League until 1970. This is the version that lasted exactly one season in the old American Association. Actually, those Brewers didn't last an entire season. They played 36 games before disbanding. Five pitchers worked for them, with Davies notching about a third of the innings.
The list of pitchers who led their team in innings pitched with a total equal to or lower than Francis' last year is a curious one:
The rest of this article is restricted to Baseball Prospectus Subscribers.
Not a subscriber?
Click here for more information
on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or use the buttons to the right to subscribe and get access to the best baseball content on the web.
I would have liked to see this data focus on the modern era. How many teams haven't had a 200ip SP in the past decade or two? How many haven't had a 150ip guy? Any indication of cases where this represented a choice (ie trying to develop young starting pitchers or using paired 3 man starting rotations)? Maybe we'll start to see this in the next few years if teams try to get more aggressive developing young pitchers without abusing them.
Thanks for the note. I agree that an examination of more recent usage would be interesting and potentially useful.
To answer two of your questions: Since 2000, 81 teams haven't had a pitcher reach 200 IP, while just two (2012 Rockies, 2006 Devil Rays led by Scott Kazmir's 144.2 IP) haven't had one reach 150 IP. Amusingly, Kazmir was taken a few picks after Francis in the 2002 draft.
I do not know the answers to your deeper questions, but they are certainly worth considering.
Greg Harris topped the 1994 Rockies with 130 IP, but that was a strike year. Since 1900, in a non-strike-shortened season, only four teams have had zero pitchers reach 150 IP: 1957 A's (Ned Garver, 145.1), 1997 A's (Don Wengert, 134), 2006 Devil Rays (Scott Kazmir, 144.2), and 2012 Rockies.
So the answer is Harris, although under the same conditions as Francis had, it is Wengert (who made 12 starts and 37 relief appearances, and who was one of the worst pitchers on a terrible staff). Thanks for the question.
Loved everything about this, especially the rabbit story. I guess it is safe to say that no team leader in innings pitched has ever pitched a lower percent of his team's inning.
Prospects Will Break Y... (11/26)
11 comments have been left for this article. 
Surprise Me!
Thanks Geoff .... I personally love this kind of stuff.