ROTISSERIE: Changing power balance, pt. 1

This is the first of a two-part study of underlying trends of recent seasons and some of their strategic ramifications.

Most fanalytic analysts have long recommended targeting the bulk of your draft resources, whether in the form of auction salaries or early draft picks, toward acquiring skilled, reliable hitters. The best justification for that approach is that hitters have historically been more stable investments than pitchers. Pitchers' perceived greater injury susceptibility, particularly to season-ending or career-threatening ailments, has been a prime factor underlying this strategic preference.

This approach was especially valid in the offense-dominated environment of the late 1990s and early 2000s when reliably skilled...

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