How valuable is tiring the opposing pitcher out? (Hypothetical)
Let’s say a player is able to foul off x amount of pitches and then strikes out every time he is at the plate. What number would x have to be for him to be on a playoff caliber MLB team? If the opposing pitcher does not give full effort, this player will hit a home run, so no throwing easy pitches to prevent fatigue.
Additionally, what caliber of hitter would you replace this player with in terms of OPS depending on what x is? I’m thinking if x = 20, I would replace a league average hitter with this player and sub him out when I actually needed a hit in crunch time.
Although this player would have a 0 OPS, if x were some really high number like 50 and this player bat first, the pitcher may not even get through the full line up a single time. Could this player be the goat if x were something ridiculous like 100? The opposing team just wouldn’t be able to finish a game at that point.