Ask yourself why you're pinch-hitting. The answer should be pretty darn straightforward. You're expecting the batter to have a better result than the resulting hitter.
However, dating back to 2004, the league average WAA for pinch hitters has always been below 0.0. In other words, pinch hitters have been a detriment to the team almost exclusively, meaning they are used incorrectly, and that any success the have is more due to random chance that a great managerial decision.
From 2011-2013, the Texas Rangers posted 3 consecutive seasons with a pinch-hitter WAA above 0. Those seasons (0.4, 0.2, 0.1 respectively) represent the only time in the last decade a team made out better than average by using a pinch hitter in more than two consecutive seasons. On the average, for every franchise, the result is poor.
There isn't much consistency either. The Pirates from 2010-2011 are the only Franchise to finish last in consecutive seasons, and the Rangers from above are the only team with a streak of finishing first. So paired with an average of around -0.8, there seems to be almost no methodology to correctly selecting a pinch-hitter.
Obviously the expectations aren't for them to be great hitters. Great hitters aren't usually available off the bench and aren't the people who get pinch hit for. But teams being unable to generate league average offensive despite being able to replace weaknesses in the lineups with strengths is a pretty big failure or roster building. Something that can cost some crucial games over the long haul.
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