The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) in Michigan is recruiting pitchers to revive the tradition of starters who can go deep into games. This initiative contrasts with major league baseball's focus on velocity and short outings. League executive Justin Orenduff aims to develop innings-eating arms that MLB teams need.
Independent leagues often serve as baseball's testing grounds for innovations, from pitch clocks to robot umpires. The USPBL is now experimenting with a core element of the sport: restoring the art of starting pitchers who deliver extended outings.
On December 1, 2025, Justin Orenduff, the USPBL's executive director of baseball strategy and development and a former Dodgers draft pick, announced recruitment for 'primary starting pitchers.' In a tweet, he stated: 'The game isn’t building traditional starters anymore. At the @uspbl, we're changing that. We are actively recruiting Primary Starting Pitchers who want to take the ball every week, pitch deep into games, and become the durable, innings-capable arms MLB organizations need.'
This push addresses MLB's shift toward velocity obsession, which has shortened starter workloads. In the 2025 season, Dodgers starters averaged 4.85 innings per game, with no complete games in the regular season—mirroring 12 other teams. Only three pitchers reached 200 innings league-wide, down from 45 in 2010. Average fastballs climbed from 91 mph in 2008 to 94 mph in 2024, per an MLB report, but this correlates with higher injury risks.
The report critiques modern workload management, noting it may incentivize maximum effort on fewer pitches, potentially worsening arm strain and reducing on-field action. Orenduff advocates for pitchers like Mark Buehrle, who logged 200 innings for 14 straight years with a sub-90 mph fastball, or Cliff Lee, who did so eight times without topping 92 mph. 'Being able to get more Mark Buehrles or Cliff Lees back into the fold would be good for the game,' Orenduff said.
In the USPBL, pitchers will face fewer rigid limits, such as arbitrary 100-pitch caps, allowing them to build stamina through tough spots. Orenduff's study of top pitching draft picks since 2013 revealed three-quarters never pitched for their drafting MLB team, costing $800 million in bonuses. The league will use advanced metrics to track sustainability, aiming to prove flexible approaches can extend careers and produce reliable starters.
