Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz is admittedly a fan of Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy, but he is hardly a fan of the way Bundy and other major league starters are brought through the minor leagues in today's game.
Through 21 major league seasons, Smoltz pitched to a 3.33 ERA with 53 complete games, and he said there are fewer complete games today because of pitch and inning limits throughout the minor leagues.
"Major league pitchers today have a disadvantage because of what they are not able to do in the minor leagues," Smoltz said on Glenn Clark Radio April 12. "The leash is short; everybody is talking about pitch counts … concerned about how they are going to get their pitcher to where they are not talking about innings limits. So it's a little bit unfair for a young pitcher … basically [because of] how [conventional thought] trains them.
