While there are mainly three types of pitchers, here we will learn what does SP mean in baseball and some other acronyms related to pitchers.
For defensive baseball, team pitchers are of great importance as their pitching strategy can predict the winner of the match. For this reason, pitchers are given a lot of importance; moreover, due to their importance, there are three pitching positions in baseball named SP, RP, and CP.
SO WHAT DOES SP MEAN IN BASEBALL, AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
To start a baseball game, each team needs to have a pitcher on the mound, but what does SP mean in baseball?
- STARTING PITCHER (SP)
Generally, there are four to five players available for the pitcher’s position called SP. Now the question is what does SP mean in baseball?
SP means Starting Pitchers, and their prime responsibility is to begin the game at the pitcher’s position by throwing the ball. Generally, they are expected to keep throwing the ball for six or more innings in each game.
How long the pitcher can stay in the position depends on their performance. If they are pitching well, then they are allowed to continue. Otherwise, they are withdrawn from the position, and another pitcher (relief pitcher) takes their place.
Starting pitchers are responsible for restricting the opponent team’s runs, and in case they fail to do so, then the team’s manager replaces them with another SP as there are 4 to 5 pitchers on each team.
- RELIEF PITCHER (RP)
In contrast to knowing what does SP mean in baseball, it is vital to learn about relief pitcher or RP?
So whenever a team’s manager decides to replace SP, the next pitcher that comes in position is called a relief pitcher. RP carries out the same responsibilities as SP, and the only difference exists in their labeling. There are around 9 to 13 players on a team’s list; these players are considered RPs.
Generally, RPs pitch for five innings; however, their stay can be either longer or shorter depending upon how early SP was changed. The minimum stay of an RP on the pitch can be one inning, whereas, for maximum stay, there is no limit.
To become an RP, no specialty is required as anyone from the list of the players can take the responsibility of SP and become RP. For example, when the SP is not performing, the manager can replace him with a shortstop. In this scenario, the shortstop becomes the RP. However, this might not be a common practice in MLB, but it happens pretty often in other leagues.
The more interesting fact is that there are five sub-categories in RP. These categories are listed below.
- Set-Up Man
- Middle Relief Pitcher
- Long Relief Pitcher
- Right or Left handed Specialist
- Closer
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- CLOSER PITCHER (CP)
The closer pitcher is a specialized pitcher that comes to pitch at the game’s final stages, especially when their team is winning. It’s a common strategy to bring in CPs in the final stages of the game and perform the task of saving the runs. A successful CP always have the most saves for their team to maintain their lead.
Usually, closer pitchers play for a single inning than the final one. The reason behind bringing the CP in the final stages of the game is that they can pitch under stressful conditions; moreover, their advantage is that they are rested players who are full of energy and can cope with stressful conditions. For these reasons, CPs are of considerable advantage for teams in basketball as they increase their chances of winning the game.
Since CPs throw only three outs in a game, they always remain energetic and can play matches in a row. This is the reason why their number is lower as compared to RPs. Having a competitive CP in a team is extremely important as they are the one who maintains the lead of their teams by saving runs. As shown in the beginning, what does SP mean in baseball along with RP and CP? We learned that every pitcher is vital for a team, but CP is slightly more essential because of their ability to maintain their team’s lead and play under stressful conditions.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
This article taught us what does SP mean in baseball, their tasks and duties. Furthermore, we learned about the other two types of pitchers, i.e. RP and CP, how important are they when they play in a game and their number on a baseball team.
I hope you learned something new about pitchers. Please do share your thoughts and opinion.
Thank you for reading!
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