Bulk man

The role of bulk man is one that began to appear in the late 2010s with the widespread adoption of the bullpen game as a strategic move, and no longer as a desperate ploy to deal with the unavailability of a regular starting pitcher. In such a scenario, the starting pitcher, expected to pitch just one inning or a bit more, was dubbed the "opener", while the relief pitcher expected to have the longest stretch on the mound during the game was the "bulk man".

Ryan Yarbrough was the first pitcher to find real success in the role, going 16-6 as a rookie for the 2018 Tampa Bay Rays. That year, he made just 6 starts in 38 games, but still managed to pitch 147 1/3 innings - only slightly less than the workload of a regular starting pitcher. Another aspect of the role was that, contrary to an opener, a bulk man had an opportunity to pick up many wins if he pitched for a good team.